1 Problem + 1 Problem = Need for Prayer!

Old Problem

As you know, I am seeing Dr. Wong and need your prayer- that they would find out what is wrong, and they would be guided by the Lord in doing so. Some people have heard about my seizures and said- "See, even more reason that you shouldn't leave the states." I have heard of missionaries in wheelchairs, missionaries not in wheelchairs but with serious life-threatening conditions who have continued to share Christ all over the world until the day they died. I am a far cry from a wheel chair. God has called me and my family specifically and specially to go overseas, to prepare our hearts and minds for this prospect as well as our family and finances as best we can, and to share Christ with those who have not yet heard a clear presentation of God's word and what Christ has sacrificed so that they could be right with God. I believe fully this is God's calling to us. I believe God is a powerful God, and since he has called me to do this He will give me the mental facilities, the physical ability, and the financial abilities to complete this calling as long as He desires and I will pursue this goal to His glory.

Southern translation- "Ain't no way no seizures gonna stop dis boy!"
I just want to do my best to be a steward of my body and find out what is going on, and within our means seek healing. What we cannot heal, is what God handles- that is a life of faith, and what I pursue.

The EEG occurred, and by God's grace they caught some seizures- not the most powerful I have at that time, but they did catch them which is what I prayed for. While I was laying there, near the end, I prayed that God would let them see my seizures clearly, that they would happen so they could see what is really going on- and guess what? Before I finished thinking the prayer, one hit! Unusual to pray for seizures to happen, huh?

New Problem

A short time ago our car broke down, and we paid $500+ to repair it- they told us there were two options. Replace the motor for several thousand dollars (worth more than the whole car), or they would try to manually weld it back and if it worked then it would last. It worked. Until this morning, when it broke again.

We believe God will provide- Katrnia is worried, but I am proud at how well she has set that aside and drove to work with a smile on her face (using my car, which is also older and near its end). "Hey, now I'll have air conditioning!"

We only have one car now, her car will have to go to car heaven. I believe that God will provide for us, apart from having to be in debt (at least, debt to a bank- preferably any debt at all). As missionaries, we will need to be debt-free and so in preparing for this we have to keep that in mind. This is a major disaster- we're already getting financial aid from our church to help us in one aspect of our lives, we're making just enough to supply for ourselves, and my parents are still (at this point) helping us pay most of our rent each month (they are planning to end after September). We believe God wants us to personally raise our child- and that is practically, since it would cost more to put him in daycare each day than I would make in a new job right now anyway. Also, to prepare for ministry, I need to pursue volunteer ministry work. So, we are where God wants us- Katrina has a job she loves, supervising at customer service. I am taking care of Conor and learning each day to do a better job of keeping up our home. Soon I will finish CIU completely in August, and then I will also be doing more ministry at our Church and possibly an internship with them.

Prayers Needed

Please pray for us, and pray for our needs to be provided for. I know God has allowed this for His reasons, and He will accomplish more for His glory. I hope that as I write this, I can give glory to His name by saying that we rest sure and sound in faith of His provision. We also know that your prayers, each and every one, will have a powerful effect on our behalf! God has said clearly that He responds to prayer- that He moves in new ways! In the Bible, God has shown us that he had even made up his mind to destroy the Israelites at one point- and yet because one man interceded on behalf of his whole people, God listened! He turned His wrath away! It is said that God hears the prayers of a righteous person- and so I covet and value your prayers on our behalf to Jesus Christ, the one and only true son of God who has died to give us life.

Sincerely,
Pat 'n Kat

Dr. Huang ('wong') is Right

I will share more about it- I had planned
to give more details- but here is the overview. My partial seizures have
been getting progressively worse over the past few years, at an increasing
rate. Theology 2 this year versus last year was hard- the more I tried to use
my higher thinking the more seizures I had. When Sandy visited a few weeks ago,
I had a new type of issue with facial recognition- I knew who she was of
course, but while I was talking to her across from me on the couch suddenly her
face seemed to change as though I had not seen it before. I was seeing her from
“fresh eyes”- but while it was neat, it was also not a good sign. My seizures
seem to be hopping over different parts of my brain in different ways. My
memory is being affected, now my recognition of faces was affected once or
twice, and my ability to think at certain levels is being hindered. I became
worried even more after the issue with Sandy, and my Dad finally (he is
reluctant to ask favours or press his colleagues) spoke to a friend of his who
works in his office. He is Dr. Wong, the director of Neurology at the
University of South Carolina.

He saw me the very next morning (I
usually have to wait two to four weeks after making an appointment with my
present neurologist). He is very busy, and booked- but my Mom feels they all
love my Dad there, and he put me at top priority. Again, I owe my Father so
much! Both my Earthly and Heavenly one. He listened and asked some very good
questions, relied on my Wife’s perspective as well, and actually came to some
very good questions and ideas beyond “Hey, let’s throw meds at it”. This is
what a neurologist is SUPPOSED to be like. He is going to give me an EEG
probably Monday around 5 PM- since that is the best time to ‘catch’ my
seizures, before taking my medication.

He seemed concerned that they had increased
so much (as many as 15-20 times an hour if I am stressed, arguing with Kat,
sleepy, adrenaline, caffeine, etc) as well as the high level of one of my
medications (Keppra). What also worries me is that the way Katrina portrayed my
waking seizures, I think he became concerned about my driving- even though we
both attested it was not hindered in any way (I think it looked more like
cover-up, since Kat was unaware of the risk she was running while I was. I knew
that if he felt there was any slight risk he would be required to look at
revoking my liscence). Of course if I AM a risk, I do not want to drive and
risk others- but I feel I am not, my previous neurologists (despite Dr. Lenke’s
issues) did not, and I have even avoided stupid drivers while in the middle of
seizures which proves my driving abilities are not diminished. I can win a
video game in a seizure- I just can’t talk well or reason at an academic level.

Please pray for me about this issue- that
they could identify the seizures and treat them better than they are now. Even
better, that God would miraculously heal them!

Talk with Hiroshi

First allow me to say that Skype works VERY
well! I was able to talk to Japan- with a tolerable delay time (hey, you get
used to it: it is worth it for the savings)- for two hours last night without
paying a penny! I highly recommend Skype for international communications, if
you are not talking with a missionary who has brought their VoIP router with
them (even better than Skype, if you do it).

I had a wonderful time talking with Hiroshi
last evening, and it was an enlightening and delightful experience. Hopefully
the feelings were mutual! Even though he has only been working six months to
begin to speak English verbally, he has apparently gone from unable to say
words clearly to a very fluent, understandable speaker. Apparently he felt his
ESL (English as a Second Language) program in Canada was not sufficient, and
has found making partners like myself online and talking with them has helped
him become fluent faster than any other method. Apparently, English ‘tutors’ in
Japan can cost $50 an hour!! So, while he is helping me out by giving me a
chance to talk with him (which is apparently also helping him a lot) and
teaching me some Japanese, likewise I am apparently giving him a very valuable
service.

It was interesting to learn that despite
the general impression that the world has of Japanese prosperity and technology,
since the country hit bankruptcy fifteen years ago things have changed
dramatically. Most Japanese view their living situation as less than ideal.
Hiroshi, who is between jobs (and using the time to brush up on his English for
a future job- a valuable trait) also mentioned the stress in general on people
in jobs. As I already knew, they work on average two hours overtime a day- and
they also work on Saturdays. Another major factory is job security. It used to
be that job security was a common benefit of being in corporations, but now-
even more than we have seen in America- companies will use you and if they
notice a lack of performance and there is a better choice to replace you, they
will. I guess that Hiroshi feels he was the target of one such attempt. He is
obviously working hard- because his English is incredible.

As I was writing this, I remembered I had
an appointment this morning with my other Japanese “pen pal” Hijii. He is
presently employed in foreign relations for a company, and it is obvious why he
would want his English to be stronger. I enjoyed talking with him because,
while Hiroshi’s English was better he seemed to prefer longer talking and have
more of a set plan of how things would go. Hijii was a lot less formal, and
while it was much harder to understand his English it was fun to talk to him.
He had trouble understand some concepts that Hiroshi did very well with- but he
was more curious about who I was, what life was like for me, and we had a good
time despite some translation problems.

How CIU changed standards

Author's Note for non-CIUians: I go to a university that has standards based on our religious beliefs as Christians, but taken a little farther in order to promote a "Biblical lifestyle" model for after we graduate. These standards include things like not dancing for any reason except in a "spiritual context" (ie- in religious worship, for those few who have that at their church). They include not drinking any alchohol for any reason, not smoking, and obviously no drugs. Most controverial amongst the students, they also include no holding hands unless you are engaged (if they have not changed, this includes both on campus AND on your own time)- you cannot be in the same room alone with the opposite sex unless you are married to them (I'm not sure if it works for being engaged, but I think not), and technically "hugging" the opposite gender is discouraged though a lot of people tend to throw that out for friendly hugs. (of course, I've known some huggy CIU females who, by the time they were Juniors, gradually turned into "CIU side hug only" people- they were successfully 'processed') Hee hee. Anyway, there is a big debate about the standards- bigger than normal, since it is actually being entertained by members of the school administration- and that is what this relates to.
Author's Note for CIUians: I have a LOT of non-CIU people who regularly visit my page. You guys from CIU are actually rather new/recent. I don't actually normally write about CIU unless it had some recent big effect on my daily life- and since it's main effect for the last two years was basically "I have to finish four credits to graduate" and nothing much else, it hasn't been a major topic of mine. It's only here now because I went to class there for a week this Summer and got involved in all the discussion. Sorry to dissapoint you, but I don't think I will be talking about CIU a whole lot in future entries unless it is brought to me. So, I'm explaining to the intercultural crowd, the married friends, the people who are Christians elsewhere and some people who aren't even Christians at all, what in the world this whole thing is about.

The Dream

I will not try to fool you that this time I am speaking of a dream. In my dream, I was on campus for the start of the semester, taking a class a little like this Summer- we'll assume perhaps the same. Some guy students, who were living in the dorms, invited me to join a group and go out- they were going to go into town together, maybe try to do some dancing. Well, I didn't know about them, but it was fine with me since I hadn't had to sign the standards (this is a dream, but it was based on real life- but in Summer semester I never was given standards to sign. Oh well, no prob!). Well, as they were getting ready, along comes Mark (yes, Cuppocoffee2 guy (sp), hee hee, you were in my dream!) with a team of security, and suits up all of the boys in black cloaks and masks (kind of like a mixture of costume masks and gas mask sorta things, I'm not sure... maybe imagine darth vader? I'm not sure it looked that way, but it sounds funny). Maybe it was Mark because I know him and he deals with technology. Either way, they were asking me to put one on too, and I was indignant: "I'm not in a dorm, I live off campus! And I never even signed the standards! You don't have a right to do this to any of them! It's up to them to keep the standards". Of course, the guys who couldn't run in time were caught and put into the cloaks (the hooded kind- it seemed more monk-like to me in the dream, but one could also compare it to the Emporer in Star Wars hee hee). They slowly, dejectedly followed each other into a truck to be 'carted off' to their destination.

Apparently the cloaks and masks would insure no breaking of standards. In the dream I didn't really know how this worked, nor do I remember, but whatever it was I was really angry about it and threw some security guards to the ground. The last thing I remember is escaping on my bicycle before they could capture me and put me in too. I think, looking back, the idea was the cloak and masks would somehow make the student unable to do any actions that might lead to standard breaking.

This is rather amusing- it must be all due to the recent standard talk online. I myself do not particularly have to worry about it- it does not affect me anymore, nor my life. I still have my opinions on it- but actually, I had never envisioned the talk about removing all standards entirely and retaining only those necessary for community conduct on campus (as Dr. Blewett spoke of in our class). I only was thinking of lightening them to the clearer essentials and leaving the rest for self monitoring (ie- no sex before marriage is a clear rule, but the grey area of physical interaction and what is proper PDA is given to your own discretion- not dictated by rules). The idea of just abolishing them entirely is kind of strange to me, but it will be interesting to see what actually happens.

Anyway, I thought it was amusing that Mark got a guest spot on my dream. Sorry it was as the "nefarious techno-villain"... I know you're too busy with your kids and chapel to devise anything like that.

-Patrick

I am quite excited! As of today, I have been assigned as a conversation partner for a USC student from Japan!

Thanks so much for your email!  There are not many Japanese speakers, but one of my former students, Yuki, would make a great match for you.

I am quite excited, since I really enjoy teaching and sharing. I am also just overwhelmed at the wonderful chance to get to interact with the Japanese culture! My hope is that she knows how to cook (from what I know of Japan, it would be very likely that she would since cooking is considered an essential for women), because I would love to learn some Japanese recipes beyond what I know. Also, some aspects of cooking (the artistic side of it) simply requires visual direction: for me, learning from writing would be next to impossible. I also hope to get to learn some Japanese! Ah, yes, I have an evil hidden motive- I will help her with English, and in turn, she can help me with Japanese. Since I'm helping her with English, I'll feel less self-conscious about trying Japanese and she should feel less self-conscious about her English. "If this baka person sounds that silly trying my language, it doesn't matter WHAT I sound like in English". Baka being a flexible term sometimes translated as "stupid", "silly", "idiot" depending on how affectionately (or non-affectionately) it is used.

I sometimes wonder why God would give me such a passionate interest in the Japanese people, and yet my Wife Kat would have such a... wariness of Japan? I won't quite say "dislike", but she does seem wary of Japanese culture- I think it is because of the negative religious associations she has for it, that and just a bad "vibe" maybe? Either way, because of this I couldn't condone looking to move to Japan one day- wherever I go it will be a place Katrina wholely supports- and since I came to this realization it has seemed that Cuba has popped up as a potential place to go. I can always hope, though, that perhaps my interest in Japan is there for some reason and one day we might travel there. After all, I got so excited when I was just physically IN Japan at an airport (on the way to Taiwan) and got to hear Japanese over the speakers that I almost wanted to just run out of the airport and stay in Japan. I even saved an aluminum Pepsi bottle I got there just because it was neat looking and... Japanese! I really must be an otaku (don't ask).

-Patrick

Let's play "Get outside the bubble!" I know plenty of friends or passers-by here who are 'trapped' in a cultural bubble (and some, the CIU bubble)- then you go onto xanga, and do the exact same thing! I've been leaving a few blogrings lately and joining some new ones because I want to connect to more people- outside of my 'circles' and culture. It is fascinating already! I encourage you to take a look at the site of the leader of the Japan blogring I joined here . Some of the more sheltered might find this quick splash into Japanese culture a bit alarming- but I hope most will simply enjoy it! Her site is full of pictures (I think she is from Japan, but either way, she lives there)- the most recent is a trip outside of Japan, but the rest are in Japan- that really help you to experience Japanese life a little. It feels a little like a trip in and of itself! I really encourage all of you to take the chance to check it out. (as a lot of my reader's are Christian, I'll just warn you- it's not that sort of site. Don't expect it to be   )

Isn't it great that even though we sometimes feel stuck in our own little chunk of the world, with the internet we can- in seconds- step out of it and have a closer friendship with someone thousands of miles away than our own next door neighbour? It is easy for geography to segregate us and seperate us from a variety in the world- and language barriers too. I look at pictures from Japan and... most everyone is Japanese. Yet you have to HUNT here to find someone Japanese (trust me, I've tried- and only succeeded because this is a university city)... yet online, if you know WHERE to click, it's just one click away.

I challenge everyone to take a few steps outside of your world today and try out someone else's, make a new friend, connect outside the 'bubble' we may be at in life. A bubble isn't always a bad thing- but it is important to avoid isolating ourselves within it.

-Patrick

PS- Random Conor pictures! Note these are from around three months ago.

The Evil Policeman

I was on a trip, travelling through a different state than South Carolina along with Katrina & co. I had set my cruise control- as I usually do now- at the speed limit. Sometimes it varies a little- it isn't a new car with some of those nicer cruise controls that keep the speed within a few MPH of what you set, so sometimes it goes a little below and sometimes a little above by no more than five miles. I also keep my eyes regularly on the speedometer: it is a habbit of mine. I always know what I am going at. What else is there to do but watch trees, after all? Until, that is, I get pulled over on the freeway by the cop-of-my-nightmares.

Once I am pulled over, he walks up and tells me he just caught me going ninety. No, not .90 mph over the speed limit- ninety miles an hour. I was flabberghasted. I am normally very polite and genuine to police- especially when at fault. In this case, I am very frank- "Sir, that is simply NOT possible. I set my cruise control at seventy- the speed limit- and while I will admit it might have gone as much as five over, it did NOT go close to eighty much less ninety miles an hour! I have never in my life sped like that, and I have only gotten a ticket once when I was sixteen years old." He writes the ticket, and tells me that if I disagree I can show up in traffic court to contest it. We're in a different state. It would cost more money than the ticket he wrote- at this point, I am thinking PURPOSELY wrote to be high but not higher than the gas cost- to get back there. But that isn't the issue.

"Sir, I was not going ninety miles an hour. It may cost me more money than the ticket to show up in court and contest this- but I am a man of honour, and it is the principle of the fact I did nothing wrong. So I will personally drive back here that day, and I will contest this ticket even though it costs me more money than the ticket- because I will not let it stand that I did that when I did not. I'll accept a ticket for five miles over- but not for going ninety." I was ANGRY- I mean we are talking righteously angry, but not impolite. I was going to see this made correct- it was bad enough if it was a mistake, but if this man was purposely doing this I had to see the misunderstanding made right before all.

My heart was racing, as he looked at me- that nightmare cop...

And then I woke up.

Yes, it was indeed a dream. It was a very realistic dream, and when I sat up in bed- it was morning at this point- I was ready to get up and call a lawyer. I was ready to jump in my car and drive to kentucky or wherever it was (for some odd reason Kentucky came to mind- maybe because my best man Sean happens to be there and went there for police related reasons) and see that demon-cop put right! Fortunately, reality was there and I calmed down. No nightmare-cop, no ticket- I am fine, safe, in my house. I rarely get so caught up.

I thought about it a bit, realising from conversations with my Dad (a psychoanalyst and psychiatrist) that dreams can sometimes give insights into things. This dream seemed to have absolutely no point or meaning besides making me frustrated as anything, but I thought about it. I realised, perhaps it points out a trait I have- a trait that can sometimes really annoy others, but I think perhaps we all have to an extent. Perhaps it most annoys those who inspire it.

I have the gift of mercy- I truly believe that. My wife has a STRONG sense of justice and as such has trouble forgiving, wants to make people pay the price. I have an ability to give mercy and forgive- we talked about that in Theology 2 this Summer. Andre was sharing how if someone did something to his baby girls, all rules stopped- even if it was to his wife, he felt he could handle it under Jesus, but his girls... he just couldn't control it, and he wouldn't lie about it. Someone else in the class, unmarried, said he felt if he married and had children he would feel the same. I was actually feeling bad here- so I asked, "Is there something wrong with me as a parent, that if someone killed my six month old son- purposely or not- I would be hurt and angry, but I feel at this moment I could forgive them and try to even bring them to salvation if they were not?" I felt kind of embarassed- like here I am, maybe missing some essential key parental drive component. After discussing it, I think it became clear that this is just a unique gift- a way I am a little unique.

BUT, I have a strong sense of rightness. Like my personality test a few entries down, I see the world as black and white- God and Satan- good and evil, and I seek to pursue right causes. I am, as my enfp profile would indicate, a "Champion". So, when I feel I am wrongly accused or that I am pursuing a right cause or sharing a truth, I can be relentless- if controlled and not over emotional- in seeing it resolved. Resolution- that is it. I desire, and I am tireless, in seeing resolution found. And perhaps this dream indicates something of that feeling- to see something I feel is wrong occur (obviously, just a dream) and then my inability to see it stand unchallenged even if it costs me to see it righted. Be it me, be it someone else- I even get that same feeling on others behalves, and sometimes annoy my Sister or Katrina because I want so badly to see them stand up for themselves just like I would. "How DARE that professor treat you that way, Colleen? You should confront him- and if he doesn't change it, then you should report him! He has no right to treat you unfairly just because you are quiet and won't defend yourself."

It is something worth thinking about a little more, since I think truly this is a trait of who I am and something God made a part of me- but can also be taken too far, when there are times in a Christian life that we must be willing to take injustice for the sake of Christ.

-Patrick

Proverbs 10:2 What you gain by doing evil won't help you at all, but being good can save you from death.

Looking at multiple translations, this verse focuses on the idea of "treasures" gained, ill-gotten rewards, etc. Those out there who were recently students/still students- have you ever done something like this? Bent the rules a bit to your advantage? Done something to get the grade that, whether direct cheating/lies or more indirect, vague deceit was technically not completely straight? Often, sometimes, just once or twice? Maybe nobody but you knows- maybe you confessed. I'd imagine a lot of fellow students have some unconfessed issues there. I am not telling you TO confess, but I am addressing the subject. I, myself, have my own situations like that too.

I think it is important to look at the big picture. Why am I where I am? What is my goal in being here? For me, my purpose of being at CIU was to prepare myself for missionary service- to spend the rest of my life serving Christ in the Church. Looking at it from that perspective, I have realised in the past that I could take advantage of opportunity and 'make the grade' in a class while still failing in God's eyes. I could miss the entire point of being where I was. The 'gain' of the classes I finished in such a way would be wiped away by the evil done to complete them.

Perhaps it is the same financially as well. It is God who provides for us- He can help us to make it through school when we otherwise could not, He can provide the finances and things we need to make it. Yet when we do evil to get what we feel we need- even if the ends is right- perhaps God will respond by not doing his 'part'. Perhaps we would be better off avoiding evil entirely. As this verse indicates, evil means will never help. God does not use evil to accomplish his goods. The ends do NOT justify the means!

I just thought I would think up some xanga entries as I look through proverbs. Until next time!

-Patrick

Ever enjoy "The Neverending Story" movie? Here is a shot of the child stars- Bastien and the child-like Empress.

Why

I decided to take it again based on Katrina's desire to know what it was. I have taken it before, but did not remember the details. As I took it and answered, I realised that my answers have changed NOW versus BEFORE. I am not sure if some can say your personality can change or not- but I do know that at times I sincerely do act differently. I think that in the end, though, there is the idealised personality I desire to be- and the actualisation of it. For example, at Midlands tech I was more introverted- but I did NOT like it. I do NOT like being that way. But at CIU, I was more extroverted- and enjoyed it. I tend to be more impulsive, but I do NOT like being that way- I desire to be more perceptive and thoughtful, though I enjoy making new choices and explorations.

I think it is interesting that despite the fact my answers changed, the end result "Champion Idealist" did not! So, here is the result. If you really want to know more about who I am, I encourage you to read this- especially the part on Champions, since that seems to sum me up VERY well- especially the part about bubbling over with words, trying to share information and truth about the world in their eagerness to explore and find out what is around them! Also, the second part is VERY descriptive of me as well. I think this definitely fits me well.

-Patrick

The Results

Your Type is
ENFP

ENFP type description by D.Keirsey
ENFP type description by J. Butt and M.M. Heiss

• distinctively expressed extrovert
• distinctively expressed intuitive personality
• distinctively expressed feeling personality
• slightly expressed perceiving personality

The D. Keirsey description-

The Portrait of the Champion Idealist (eNFp)	RATIONAL ARTISAN	IDEALIST GUARDIAN
Copyrighted © 1996-2006 Prometheus Nemesis Book Company

The Champion Idealists are abstract in thought and speech, cooperative in accomplishing their
aims, and informative and extraverted when relating with others. For Champions,
nothing occurs which does not have some deep ethical significance, and
this, coupled with their uncanny sense of the motivations of others, gives
them a talent for seeing life as an exciting drama, pregnant with possibilities
for both good and evil. This type is found in only about 3 percent of the
general population, but they have great influence because of their extraordinary
impact on others. Champions are inclined to go everywhere and look into
everything that has to do with the advance of good and the retreat of evil
in the world. They can't bear to miss out on what is going on around them;
they must experience, first hand, all the significant social events that
affect our lives. And then they are eager to relate the stories they've
uncovered, hoping to disclose the "truth" of people and issues, and to
advocate causes. This strong drive to unveil current events can make them
tireless in conversing with others, like fountains that bubble and splash,
spilling over their own words to get it all out.

Champions consider intense emotional experiences as being vital
to a full life, although they can never quite shake the feeling that a
part of themselves is split off, uninvolved in the experience. Thus, while
they strive for emotional congruency, they often see themselves in some
danger of losing touch with their real feelings, which Champions possess
in a wide range and variety. In the same vein, Champions strive toward
a kind of spontaneous personal authenticity, and this intention always
to "be themselves" is usually communicated nonverbally to others, who find
it quite attractive. All too often, however, Champions fall short in their
efforts to be authentic, and they tend to heap coals of fire on themselves,
berating themselves for the slightest self-conscious role-playing.

Full descriptions of the Champion and the Idealists
are in People Patterns
and Please Understand Me II

Love and Champions

Example: The Pygmalion
Project: Archer Newland

A Champion Idealist interest mailing group is at:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/enfp_haven/

Extraverted iNtuitive Feeling Perceiving

by Marina Margaret Heiss

Profile: ENFP
Revision: 3.0
Date of Revision: 25 Feb 2005

[The following comes partially from the archetype, but mostly from my own dealings with ENFPs.]

General: ENFPs are both "idea"-people and "people"-people, who see
everyone and everything as part of an often bizarre cosmic whole. They
want to both help (at least, their own definition of "help") and be
liked and admired by other people, on bo th an individual and a
humanitarian level. They are interested in new ideas on principle, but
ultimately discard most of them for one reason or another.

Social/Personal Relationships: ENFPs have a great deal of zany
charm, which can ingratiate them to the more stodgy types in spite of
their unconventionality. They are outgoing, fun, and genuinely like
people. As SOs/mates they are warm, affectionate (l ots of PDA), and
disconcertingly spontaneous. However, attention span in relationships
can be short; ENFPs are easily intrigued and distracted by new friends
and acquaintances, forgetting about the older ones for long stretches
at a time. Less mature ENFPs may need to feel they are the center of
attention all the time, to reassure them that everyone thinks they're a
wonderful and fascinating person.

ENFPs often have strong, if unconvential, convictions on various
issues related to their Cosmic View. They usually try to use their
social skills and contacts to persuade people gently of the rightness
of these views; his sometimes results in their negle cting their
nearest and dearest while flitting around trying to save the world.
Work Environment: ENFPs are pleasant, easygoing, and usually fun to
work with. They come up with great ideas, and are a major asset in
brainstorming sessions. Followthrough tends to be a problem, however;
they tend to get bored quickly, especially if a newer, more interesting
project comes along. They also tend to be procrastinators, both about
meeting hard deadlines and about performing any small, uninteresting
tasks that they've been assigned. ENFPs are at their most useful when
working in a group w ith a J or two to take up the slack.

ENFPs hate bureaucracy, both in principle and in practice; they will
always make a point of launching one of their crusades against some
aspect of it.

Extraverted iNtuitive Feeling Perceiving

by Joe Butt

ENFPs are friendly folks. Most are really enjoyable people. Some of the most soft-hearted people are ENFPs.

ENFPs have what some call a "silly switch." They can be
intellectual, serious, all business for a while, but whenever they get
the chance, they flip that switch and become CAPTAIN WILDCHILD, the
scourge of the swimming pool, ticklers par excellence. Som etimes they
may even appear intoxicated when the "switch" is flipped.

One study has shown that ENFPs are significantly overrepresented in
psychodrama. Most have a natural propensity for role-playing and
acting.

ENFPs like to tell funny stories, especially about their friends.
This penchant may be why many are attracted to journalism. I kid one of
my ENFP friends that if I want the sixth fleet to know something, I'll
just tell him.

ENFPs are global learners. Close enough is satisfactory to the ENFP,
which may unnerve more precise thinking types, especially with such
things as piano practice ("three quarter notes or four ... what's the
difference?") Amazingly, some ENFPs are adept at exacting disciplines
such as mathematics.

Friends are what life is about to ENFPs, moreso even than the other
NFs. They hold up their end of the relationship, sometimes being
victimized by less caring individuals. ENFPs are energized by being
around people. Some have real difficulty being alone , especially on a
regular basis.

One ENFP colleague, a social worker, had such tremendous
interpersonal skills that she put her interviewers at ease during her
own job interview. She had the ability to make strangers feel like old
friends.

ENFPs sometimes can be blindsided by their secondary Feeling
function. Hasty decisions based on deeply felt values may boil over
with unpredictable results. More than one ENFP has abruptly quit a job
in such a moment.

Functional Analysis:

Extraverted iNtuition

The physical world, both geos and kosmos, is the
ENFP's primary source of information. Rather than sensing things as
they are, dominant intuition is sensitive to things as they might be.
These extraverted intuitives are most adept with patterns and
connections. Their natural inclination is toward relationships,
especially among people or living things.

Intuition leans heavily on feeling for meaning and focus. Its best
patterns reflect the interesting points of people, giving rise to
caricatures of manner, speech and expression.

Introverted Feeling

Auxiliary feeling is nonverbally implied more often than it is
openly expressed. When expressed, this logic has an aura of romance and
purity that may seem out of place in this flawed, imperfect world. In
its own defense, feeling judgement frequently and fleetly gives way to
humor. ENFPs who publicize their feelings too often may put off some of
the crowd of friends they naturally attract.

Extraverted Thinking

Thinking, the process which runs to impersonal conclusions, holds
the extraverted tertiary position. Used on an occasional basis, ENFPs
may benefit greatly from this ability. Less mature and lacking the
polish of higher order functions, Thinking is not well suited to be
used as a prominent function. As with other FP types, the ENFP unwary
of Thinking's limitations may find themselves most positively mistaken.

Introverted Sensing

Sensing, the least discernible ENFP function, resides in the inner
world where reality is reduced to symbols and icons--ideas representing
essences of external realities. Under the influence of the ever-present
intuition, the ENFP's sensory perceptions are in danger of being
replaced by hypothetical data consistent with pattern and paradigm.
When it is protected and nourished, introverted sensing provides
information about the fixed. From such firm anchoring ENFPs are best
equipped to launch into thousands of plausibilities and curiosities yet
to be imagined.

Perhaps the combination of introverted Feeling and childlike
introverted Sensing is responsible for the silent pull of ENFPs to the
wishes of parents, authority figures and friends. Or perhaps it's the
predominance of indecisive intuition in combination with the ambiguity
of secondary Fi and tertiary Te that induces these kind souls to
capitulate even life-affecting decisions. Whatever the dynamic, ENFPs
are strongly influenced by the opinions of their friends.

Famous ENFPs:

Franz Joseph Haydn
Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain)
Will Rogers
Buster Keaton
Theodor "Dr." Seuss Geisel (The Cat in the Hat)
Mickey Rooney
James Dobson ("Focus on the Family")
Andy Rooney
Carol Burnett
Paul Harvey
Elizabeth Montgomery (Bewitched)
Bill Cosby (Ghost Dad)
Dom Delouise, actor
Dave Thomas, owner of Wendy's hamburger chain
Lewis Grizzard, newspaper columnist
I. King Jordan, president of Gallaudet University
Martin Short, actor-comedian
Meg Ryan, actor (When Harry Met Sally)
Robin Williams, actor, comedian (Dead Poet's Society, Mrs. Doubtfire)
Sandra Bullock, actor (Speed, While You Were Sleeping)
Robert Downey (Heart and Souls)
Alicia Silverstone (Clueless)
Sinbad
Andy Kaufman
Regis Philbin
 
Fictional:
Dr. Doug Ross (ER)
Balkie (Perfect Strangers)
Ariel (The Little Mermaid)
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
Steve Irkle

Copyright © 1996-2005 by Marina Margaret Heiss and Joe Butt

Reluctance to leave?

I have dismissed before 'suggestions' by my Mother (who, by the way, is a psychiatric nurse- my Father being a psychiatrist) that perhaps one of the reasons I have found it so difficult to finish Theology 2 until now and finally depart from Columbia Bible College (CIU) is the fact that part of me does not really want to let go. Now, having sat in class up until the last day of the week-long Theology 2 class I am taking I have to question my previous resolve against the idea. The feeling of getting to join in class and within only the first day make new, fast friendships with several of those in the class was delightful. To be taken out to lunch with the class, have three classmates join me in my car, and suddenly feel like a student again after over two years of seperation from the usual swing of things has crumpled my steel resolve against the suggestion. Perhaps, deep within my spirit, verily there is a part of me that does not desire to part. As well I should say that yes, living only up the hill and a two minute bicycle ride from CIU is parting- for over the last years I might as well have lived in California for all the contact and closeness I was able to have. All it takes is sitting in a class with someone to open up life with others again.

For that reason alone, I am beginning to think seriously about pursuing the free alumni audits that are now available. Not of classes I have taken- no, but of entirely new majors. After all, who needs credit? I want the knowledge... and the fellowship.

It will be relieving to finally have the burden of "the class that never ends" off my shoulders, however, I shant deny that. I look forwards to coming home at the end of today and sharing with all that I am finally DONE with classes- and then, later, to finish the work and say I am DONE with Theology 2 and FINISHED with my major at CIU.

-Patrick

My last post doesn't seem particularly popular. Perhaps because 1) it is very, very long- for that I apologise, but I had to do my thoughts and the topic justice. Secondly, it is about anime (Japanese 'cartoons'- which span a HUGE genre, from young children to old men, housewives, male and female teens, giant robots, track teams, boxing, etc- as wide as live action American movies as a whole). Thirdly, it is not only about anime but about ways one can connect Christian ideas and theology to a concept shown in anime. This last fact causes lack of popularity in particular because LOTS of people who love anime aren't inclined to like Christianity or want it connected to it- and lots of people who are really into the theological ideas and thinking deeply about how it connects to a movie really are not that interested in anime.

So, I am posting a new post since there is a likely-hood people may want to comment on other things, and I would dislike making them tag unrelated items onto a loooong post they probably wouldn't really even take the time to read anyway. But hey, I did not write it to be popular- I wrote it because God put the thoughts on my heart, and I wanted them written down. If even one person read it and appreciated it- whether or not they commented- well, I am happy.

I've posted some probably VERY controversial comments tonight- so I'll probably get some interesting comments soon. Thus I felt it good to provide a nice clean 'slate' for the incoming thoughts, support, and (perhaps the majority will be this) flames. Enjoy! Play nice!

-Patrick, Stay home Dad of Conor (6 months) and Guardian Knight Protector of Kat