Daniel Dessinger

Month: August 2009

  • What Do YOU Want to Be When You Grow Up

    “Danny, what do YOU want to be when you grow up?”

    That question always puzzled me as a boy. What do I want to be? How the heck should I know? I have to BE something? What for? Why didn’t I get that memo? And am I REALLY going to grow up and be an adult like you?

    People’s expressions taught me that it wasn’t okay to not have an answer to this most important question. I, of course, did NOT have an answer, so I made one up. The two answers I used most often were “I want to be a basketball player” or “I want to be a pastor.”

    Nice combo, eh? The basketball player part is obvious. Basketball is fun. I was okay at it. I had dreams of being better. People did it for a living and no one asked THEM what else they wanted to be. So that was as good an answer as any. But the pastor thing? I have no idea where that came from. Seriously. I didn’t actually WANT to be a pastor. I didn’t much care for the pastor we had, and he was my only pastoral role model.

    So there’s a mystery for you. Why did I say I wanted to be something I didn’t actually want to be? Why not a policeman, fireman, astronaut, doctor, or something “normal”?

    You got me. I have no clue. But that’s what I chose.

    Here I am. 32 years old. Still asking myself this question. What DO I want to be? What is deepest, truest passion? What is it that would most fulfill me in my life?

    If I had to guess, I’d say that the reason I didn’t have any aspirations as a child was because I had never heard of or imagined the purpose God has for me. It’s hard to say you’re going to be a nuclear physicist when you’ve never heard of even an ordinary physicist, right?

    Right. And I’d never heard of a prophetic person, or prophecy in any context until much later (and even then, the only context was of end-times prophecy which I don’t worry too much about). So it’s ironic that I chose to tell people I wanted to be a pastor, because that was the only member of the fivefold ministry I’d heard of at that stage in my life.

    Sadly, I STILL don’t know what a full-time prophetic ministry looks like. I see John Paul Jackson, but he’s into these international prophetic training schools. That’s great, and much needed, but I don’t want to leave my wife and family every few days to travel the world. I also see Rick Joyner, but I’m honestly not sure what he does. He’s written very popular books, of course, but I guess he sort of runs a church, like a pastor. I’m not into being a pastor. I know that’s not my particular set of giftings or interests.

    Somewhere in the deep recesses of my mind, I have an idea of what church SHOULD be, and it incorporates all members of the fivefold ministry: Apostles, Prophets, Pastors, Evangelists, and Teachers. I’ve never seen a model of this in the real world, but I think it makes perfectly logical sense that the fivefold ministers should be actively working together to train and grow the Body of Christ. What a concept! A pastor, a prophet, an evangelist, and a teacher all working together! Does that ever happen?

    Since most churches are built upon a pastor/teacher’s charisma, insight, or gifting, it’s rare to see church leaders share the spotlight or the power. They’ll call it whatever they like, but they’re really running a corporation as the CEO.

    Back to my original dilemma. I actually know what I’m called to. But I don’t know what it looks like. And I don’t have the faintest idea how it generates income without being oogly (i.e. creepy and dangerous). I’m ready to make a move. I’m ready for transition. But I don’t yet see what I’d be transitioning into.

  • Watching Edward Kennedy’s Memorial Service

    I hate funerals. Not because I don’t want to honor people, but because they’re typically too formal, structured, and therefore, unnatural. I insist on being myself under all circumstances, and people are uncomfortable with unstructured grief.

    There is something tragic about the Kennedy family. I’m not sure what it is. They are America’s royal family.

    How strange, that I cannot identify with them in the least. This family has shared more public tragedies than any other. May God bless the remaining Kennedys. May He reveal Himself to them in awesome and wondrous ways.

  • Companies That Blog Get More Traffic and Links

    We’ve been talking corporate blogging with almost every client and prospect for a while now. We’ve cited branding reasons and SEO reasons for blogging, among others. Sometimes it’s a hard sell. Companies not focused on web marketing find it difficult to justify budget spending in untested areas.
    To start a blog, a company needs available resources: […]

  • Mass Twitter Reply Spam Is Inevitable

    This month, I’ve received somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 spam @ replies on my personal twitter account. It’s got me wondering if my 16 month old prediction (that everyone will eventually privatize their accounts) might actually come true. The way Twitter apps typically work today, any and all replies using the @username convention are […]

  • Personality Type Crisis: Am I INFJ or INTP?

    Five years ago, I took the Briggs and Myerson personality test inside the book, Do What You Are. At the time, I tested as an INTJ (Introspective, Intuitive, Thinking, Judging). Recently, a cute little Facebook quiz asked the question again, only this time I scored differently.

    I was disappointed to not be an INTJ. I actually wanted to be a specific type, mostly for the exclusivity. But truth be told, I’m not so logical that I don’t frequently live by intuition and feelings. If anything, I’m always a confusing blend of logic, emotion, and intuition.

    After the Facebook quiz, I went online and looked at the traits and characteristics of various personality types, and I’ve narrowed it down to two possibilities – INFJ or INTP. According to one source, these two types belong to different groups: Intellectuals and Visionaries.

    Intellectuals (NT)
    • ENTJ – Chief
    • ENTP – Originator
    • INTJ – Strategist
    • INTP – Engineer

    Visionaries (NF)
    • ENFJ – Mentor
    • ENFP – Advocate
    • INFJ – Confidant
    • INFP – Dreamer

    Oddly enough, I don’t feel like either an Engineer or a Confidant, but more like a Strategist or a Dreamer. Sheesh. Whatever.

    Let’s take a look at some of the primary INFJ traits and see how I score:

    INFJs generally have the following traits:

    • Intuitively understand people and situations? Yes
    • Idealistic?     Yes
    • Highly principled?     Yes
    • Complex and deep?     Yes
    • Natural leaders?     Yes
    • Sensitive and compassionate towards people?     50/50
    • Service-oriented?     No
    • Future-oriented?     Yes
    • Value deep, authentic relationships?     Yes
    • Reserved about expressing their true selves?     50/50
    • Dislike dealing with details unless they enhance or promote their vision?     Yes
    • Constantly seeking meaning and purpose in everything?     Yes
    • Creative and visionary?     Yes
    • Intense and tightly-wound?     50/50
    • Can work logically and rationally – use their intuition to understand the goal and work backwards towards it?     Uncertain

    11.5 Checks
    2.5 Nos
    1 Uncertain

    Seems pretty definitive. Let’s see how I do with the traits of an INTP:

    INTPs generally have the following traits:

    • Love theory and abstract ideas? Yes
    • Truth Seekers – they want to understand things by analyzing underlying principles and structures? Yes
    • Value knowledge and competence above all else?     No. Not necessarily
    • Have very high standards for performance, which they apply to themselves? 50/50
    • Independent and original, possibly eccentric?     50/50
    • Work best alone, and value autonomy?     Yes
    • Have no desire to lead or follow?     No
    • Dislike mundane detail?     Yes
    • Not particularly interested in the practical application of their work?     Yes
    • Creative and insightful?     Yes
    • Future-oriented?     Yes
    • Usually brilliant and ingenius?     Debatable
    • Trust their own insights and opinions above others?     Yes
    • Live primarily inside their own minds, and may appear to be detached and uninvolved with other people?     50/50

    9.5 Yes
    3.5 No
    1 Uncertain

    So there you have it. I have no clue. I know I’m definitely not an INTJ or an INFP based on the descriptions, but INFJ and INTP seem to overlap for me. Given the need to choose, I’d say I feel most solidarity towards INFJ, because there are elements described that feel more true or more core to me than those of any other type.

    Turns Out I’m Neither

    Since I first wrote this post, I’ve consistently tested as an INFP. Here’s the breakdown…

    INFPs generally have the following traits:

    • Strong value systems? Yes
    • Warmly interested in people? Yes
    • Service-oriented, usually putting the needs of others above their own? As a parent, definitely. Otherwise, nah.
    • Loyal and devoted to people and causes? Yes
    • Future-oriented? Yes
    • Growth-oriented; always want to be growing in a positive direction? Yes
    • Creative and inspirational? Yes
    • Flexible and laid-back, unless a ruling principle is violated? Yes
    • Sensitive and complex? Yes
    • Dislike dealing with details and routine work? Yes
    • Original and individualistic – “out of the mainstream”? Definitely
    • Excellent written communication skills? Yes
    • Prefer to work alone, and may have problems working on teams? Yes
    • Want to be seen and appreciated for who they are? Yes

    What about you? Which type are you? Are you definitively one type, or like me where you could be several? Would love to hear your thoughts on the matter.

    Sources:

    INFJ
    INFJ Careers
    INTP
    INTP Careers

  • Day 2: Vibram Five Fingers

    I noticed last night that my back was significantly achy all over. The kind of feeling you might have if you helped a neighbor move all their furniture into and out of a Uhaul truck. Today is no different. I ache. I’ve been leaning back all day long in my chair, but the ache is just enough to be distracting and frustrating. The ache is mostly around my shoulder blades and lower, just to the left of my spine.

    My hope is that my body is adapting to the 5Fs (Five Fingers). Oddly enough, my feet didn’t hurt this morning, even though I walked in my 5Fs all day long. According to Vibram, “Stimulating the muscles in your feet and lower legs will not only make you stronger and healthier, it improves your balance, agility and proprioception.”

    It makes total sense, as I’ve mentioned before and will mention again. A cushioned shoe keeps many nerves in the foot from sensing and adapting to the changes in topography. The stimulus that comes from walking barefoot sends all kinds of signals to the brain which help the body know where all its limbs are in space at a given moment without having to visually focus on them (proprioception). It’s how you shoot a basketball without staring at your arms and hands the whole time to make sure they’re in the right place.

    Anyhow, it’s 2:22pm my time. The work day is winding down. I have a men’s group meeting tonight.

    At times today, my feet have been uncomfortable enough to warrant taking the 5Fs off, but I’ve waited to take them off until after work because I knew I would sit so long today that my feet would get plenty of rest.

    I’ve been told it will take several weeks for my feet and body to adjust to the lack of shock absorption shoes typically provide. My back is, I think, conclusive evidence of this fact. I’m sore like I’ve been working manual labor, despite the fact I’m sitting at my computer for most of the day.

    As for the back and side pain I’m experiencing, my wife just told me she has it too, so it may be due to the beet kvass detox drink we both had yesterday.

    Don’t forget: Love yourself. Love your feet.

  • Removing Strongholds: 30 Days to Liberation

    Strongholds are beliefs that are built upon lies or half-truths. They affect the way we live, the way we hear God, and the way we understand who we are in Christ.

    Demonic forces don’t have any power over those saved through faith in Jesus. But we can all believe the lies they whisper and find ourselves wrapped up in a mental stronghold we didn’t even notice. The only power the enemy has over us now is what we give them through our own belief.

    Strongholds lead to:

    • unforgiveness
    • division
    • church splits
    • family splits
    • the need to be in control
    • financial disorder
    • victim mentality

    By allowing yourself to continue thinking like a victim, you are making the declaration that your victimization is greater than God’s power. You are holding on to something God has already provided freedom from.

    Join me over the next 30 days. It’s simple. Each morning, ask God to pull down the strongholds in your mind. Ask him to complete kill and remove them. Not sure that you HAVE strongholds? Ask Him anyway. The only things you have to lose are your strongholds. Either nothing will happen or He will destroy the strongholds in your mind and your quality of life will be improved.

    Ask Him today. Ask Him tomorrow. And the next day. And the next day. Do it with me. Expect some resistance, but do not give up. Keep asking for the next 30 days and let’s talk when it’s over.

    *Thanks to John Paul Jackson for providing the inspiration for this post.

  • How Does Facebook Acquiring Friendfeed Affect Me?

    If you have a Twitter or Friendfeed account, you’ve no doubt already heard the news that Facebook acquired Friendfeed. But what does that mean to users like you and me?
    Granted, the majority of you probably didn’t have a Friendfeed account 48 hours ago. Just last week, I tried to get my Facebook friends to sign […]

  • The Window to the Soul

    The eye is the window to the soul. Don’t let anyone tell you that’s just a saying. Some prophetic people can look into a person’s eyes and see images flash before their mind of the person’s pain, joy, history, etc.

    Speaking from personal experience, I look people in the eye when talking business, but I’m always ultra sensitive to whether they’re comfortable with extended eye contact. My goal is to bless the person, not intimidate or annoy them.

    I don’t know how the experience is for everyone, but eye-to-eye contact is extremely powerful for me. Sometimes I feel embarrassed, as though I have just trespassed into someone’s personal space by looking them in the eye. I’m embarrassed for their sakes because I wouldn’t want someone reading my mail (at least I wouldn’t have at certain points of my life).

  • Psalm 5

    For the director of music. For flutes. A psalm of David.

    1 Give ear to my words, O LORD,
    consider my sighing.

    2 Listen to my cry for help,
    my King and my God,
    for to you I pray.

    3 In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice;
    in the morning I lay my requests before you
    and wait in expectation.

    4 You are not a God who takes pleasure in evil;
    with you the wicked cannot dwell.

    5 The arrogant cannot stand in your presence;
    you hate all who do wrong.

    6 You destroy those who tell lies;
    bloodthirsty and deceitful men
    the LORD abhors.

    7 But I, by your great mercy,
    will come into your house;
    in reverence will I bow down
    toward your holy temple.

    8 Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness
    because of my enemies—
    make straight your way before me.

    9 Not a word from their mouth can be trusted;
    their heart is filled with destruction.
    Their throat is an open grave;
    with their tongue they speak deceit.

    10 Declare them guilty, O God!
    Let their intrigues be their downfall.
    Banish them for their many sins,
    for they have rebelled against you.

    11 But let all who take refuge in you be glad;
    let them ever sing for joy.
    Spread your protection over them,
    that those who love your name may rejoice in you.

    12 For surely, O LORD, you bless the righteous;
    you surround them with your favor as with a shield.