* I can jump off of huge rocks into the water.

* I can rock-climb and complete an expert course.

* I can drop a tall tree where I want to, and chop wood.

* I can re-build the small engine of a gas-powered radio-controlled car.

* I can withstand the pain of an entire sleeve of tattooing.

* I can go camping for several days and actually enjoy myself.

* I can speak publicly.

* I can identify good cigars, wine, beer, or coffee.

* I can defend myself if I have to.

* I can shoot a large gun or a bow with decent accuracy.

* I can prepare almost any animal for eating purposes.

* I can lead other men into things they didn’t think possible.

* I can backpack for miles into the Honduran mountains.

* I can complete a triathlon.

* I can hit an over-the-fence and an inside-the-park homerun.

* I can drive a stick-shift and shift without the clutch.

* I can cut close to a .500 light from Christmas Tree at the Dragstrip.

* I can grill a steak that will make your body go all floppy.

* I can do a backflip, frontflip, and multiple twists from the diving board.

* I can herd cattle and effectively work them.

* I can lead people to Christ.

* I can run a bobcat, a logsplitter, a stumpgrinder, an industrial woodchipper, etc..

* I can make my wife feel beautiful.

* I can make my little girl feel safe.

These are a few of the things I am proud of. What are you proud of?

Our church leadership team is re-examining the outcome of a “strengths-finder” test we took a while back. It comes from a book called, Living Your Strengths. The gist of it is that you take a test online to discover what your top strengths are. Once these are confirmed (and buddy let me tell you…these “top 5″ will read your mail) you can step further into your giftings.

It’s been a monumental resource for our team. We’ve taken several hundred people through a class that includes this material and it’s constantly accurate and beneficial to people. Imagine what you can do when you know how you’ve been wired. Imagine how you can grow when you realize your weaker areas.

Here are my top 5 strengths with a little snippet from the book:

EMPATHY // You can sense the emotions of those around you. You can feel what they are feeling as though their feelings are your own…You help people find the right phrases to express their feelings – to themselves as well as to others.

COMMUNICATION // Events are static. You feel a need to bring them to life, to energize them, to make them exciting and vivid. And so you turn events into stories and practice telling them. You take the dry idea and enliven it with images and examples and metaphors. You believe that most people have a very short attention span.

STRATEGIC // This perspective allows you to see patterns where others simply see complexity. Mindful of these patterns, you play out alternative scenarios, always asking, “What if this happened? Okay, well what if this happened?”

IDEATION // You revel in taking the world we all know and turning it around so we can view it from a strange, but strangely enlightening angle.

CONNECTEDNESS // Certain of the unity of humankind, you are a bridge builder for people of different cultures.

Today, our team will be figuring out how our strengths can work together a make sure we aren’t using our weaknesses as a crutch.

If you’re interested in finding out what your strengths are with something quite a bit more in-depth and accurate than a facebook quiz…you should check out the book. My favorite part is that you don’t need to read the whole thing…just what pertains to your strengths or strengths you’re interested in.