A First Step Toward Getting to Know Each Other

[GandalfTheWise]

Over the past decade or so, I've come to believe that an important part of our spiritual growth and unity with one another is seeing ourselves for who God made us to be as individuals. I'd like to get a sense of who some of you are. When I was running a small group on finding our hearts, I made sure the first few weeks were safe and comfortable for practicing letting down the walls and opening the doors and the shields that we keep in place most of the time. It was really just part of my master plan to help people to discover who God made them to be. But, I found that it was a sacred and blessed thing to start to see people for who they are free of the masks and labels and stereotypes we place on ourselves and others. I felt like I was starting to see who God really made someone to be and it is an amazing thing. Anyway, enough hype. Here are a few questions to answer, and mostly importantly, explain why you answer that way. The point is to learn how to start to lower our guards and not answer according to other people's expectations. I'll put the questions here in the first post. I'll follow up with a second post in a few minutes with my answers as an example, and then please feel free to jump in. There are no wrong answers, no expectations, just a relaxing time to take a deep breath away from the pressures of the world around us. Feel free to answer with a couple things if you cannot decide on one.

1. What is your favorite kind of water in nature?
2. What is your favorite kind of animal?
3. What is your favorite sound?
4. What is your favorite smell?
5. Where would you like to visit in the world someday, or what things would you like to see?
6. What is your favorite activity as a child?
7. What was your favorite memory as a child?
8. As a child or teen, what were your favorite books or stories?

 

[GandalfTheWise]

Water: I like lakes. We live in a town near a lake and enjoy walking out there and just sitting. Something about the waves and watching ducks, birds, and fish jumping. I also love visiting Lake Michigan and Superior in the UP for vacations.

Animal: I like dolphins and wolves (and manatees). There’s something about the way dolphins play around in the ocean I’m drawn to. I’m not sure what it is about wolves, but they just come to my mind when I try to think of a favorite animal. Manatees? They’re just cute.

Sound: The sound of falling rain. Not light or downpours, but just enough to get a steady sound. I like having the bedroom window open at night when it’s raining and falling asleep to it. I also like sitting out on our patio beneath the canvas canopy and listening to the rain.

Smell: Other than bacon or chocolate chip cookies… I like lilacs. It seems most places I have ever lived have always had lilacs. They only bloom for a short time each year, but I just like the smell.

Visit: I’d like to see the stars in the southern hemisphere. Maybe it’s from watching LOTR, but I think some parts of New Zealand would be cool to see.

Activity: I loved reading. I’m not sure why, but it just seemed to open new worlds to me. My mom said when I was a toddler in my crib, I’d fall asleep with a stack of books around me.

Memory: I grew up on a farm. I enjoyed feeding the calves and petting them. They were usually friendly and would try to lick my hands and face with their sandpapery tongues.

Books/Stories: I grew up reading the Hardy boys and Tom Swift series and like sci-fi. Later, I started reading all my dad’s Zane Grey and Louis L’Amour westerns.

 

[Multifavs]

This is a great idea. I like to see everyone's responses.

1. What is your favorite kind of water in nature?

Ponds and waterfalls.

2. What is your favorite kind of animal?

I like dogs, cats, rabbits, and foxes. They are so cute!

3. What is your favorite sound?

I love music. I like to listen to music whenever I'm drawing as it makes it even more enjoyable. In fact, I almost always have music going through my head when I'm not too busy!
I like the sound of pianos, flutes, clarinets, and music boxes especially.

4. What is your favorite smell?

Food: Probably cookies, cakes, etc. when we bake them.
Flowers: We have some lilies that bloom around late July. They have big flowers and smell so good!

5. Where would you like to visit in the world someday, or what things would you like to see?

I don't really like traveling long distances much, but there are some things I would like to see. Too many to list, actually.

6. What is your favorite activity as a child?

I loved drawing. I spent a lot of time drawing in notebooks as a child.

7. What was your favorite memory as a child?

I have multiple favorite childhood memories. I really enjoyed the times when my best friend came over or spent the night, and the times when I went to her house. I really enjoyed going on field trips in 4th grade, among other things.

8. As a child or teen, what were your favorite books or stories?

As a child, I read all kinds of books. As a teen, I lost interest in a lot of those books and became more interested in some of the (clean) stories on Fanfiction because they involve my favorite characters.

 

[Citizen of the Kingdom]

1. What is your favorite kind of water in nature?

forest streams ~ I used hike a lot and the streams are often the most beautiful places, lots of waterfalls attached and because I was living near the Rockies at the time they provided clear cold drinking water to quench the thirst.

2. What is your favorite kind of animal?

horses ~ as a child I would go to the pony stables to ride the 'bumps' out before the others would rent them.

3. What is your favorite sound?

forest streams ~ falling asleep beside a stream is the best

4. What is your favorite smell?

the air after a rainy day ~ it washes away all the grime of the city

5. Where would you like to visit in the world someday, or what things would you like to see?

the northern lights ~ from what I've read they are getting to be seen in places not seen before.

6. What is your favorite activity as a child?

scrub baseball with my brothers and sisters ~ we always had enough for a team

7. What was your favorite memory as a child?

having Thanksgiving dinner with just myself and my dad ~ it just happened once and I love that memory

8. As a child or teen, what were your favorite books or stories?

detective books ~ Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys progressing to Real Detective. But I really didn't read a lot as a youngster. It wasn't until adulthood that I got into dry informational books on different topics of interest.

Edited to add the why's and wherefore's

 

[Korean-American Christian]

Over the past decade or so, I've come to believe that an important part of our spiritual growth and unity with one another is seeing ourselves for who God made us to be as individuals. I'd like to get a sense of who some of you are. When I was running a small group on finding our hearts, I made sure the first few weeks were safe and comfortable for practicing letting down the walls and opening the doors and the shields that we keep in place most of the time. It was really just part of my master plan to help people to discover who God made them to be. But, I found that it was a sacred and blessed thing to start to see people for who they are free of the masks and labels and stereotypes we place on ourselves and others. I felt like I was starting to see who God really made someone to be and it is an amazing thing. Anyway, enough hype. Here are a few questions to answer, and mostly importantly, explain why you answer that way. The point is to learn how to start to lower our guards and not answer according to other people's expectations. I'll put the questions here in the first post. I'll follow up with a second post in a few minutes with my answers as an example, and then please feel free to jump in. There are no wrong answers, no expectations, just a relaxing time to take a deep breath away from the pressures of the world around us. Feel free to answer with a couple things if you cannot decide on one.

1. What is your favorite kind of water in nature?
2. What is your favorite kind of animal?
3. What is your favorite sound?
4. What is your favorite smell?
5. Where would you like to visit in the world someday, or what things would you like to see?
6. What is your favorite activity as a child?
7. What was your favorite memory as a child?
8. As a child or teen, what were your favorite books or stories?

1. What is your favorite kind of water in nature?
The Pacific Ocean. I live about 15 to 20 miles from the beach and the coast of California.

2. What is your favorite kind of animal?
Puppies (not fully grown dogs)


3. What is your favorite sound?
My favorite sound is the sound of falling rain or waves gently crashing onto the shore. My favorite "cheer me up" song is Glenn Miller's "In the Mood"

4. What is your favorite smell?
Lavender scent

5. Where would you like to visit in the world someday, or what things would you like to see?
I would like to visit the Hawaiian islands again (Honolulu)
(I stayed in Honolulu for just 2 nights)

6. What is your favorite activity as a child?
My favorite activity as a child was reading books. I was a bookworm until the Internet became popular and until smartphones became popular
(I became addicted to the Internet and became addicted to my smartphone)

When I was 9 years old, my mother started taking us to the public library every Saturday. I love the fact that my mother took us to the library every Saturday. We would check out a big stack of books.

This is what my desk looked like when I lived in my parents' house:

7. What was your favorite memory as a child?
My favorite memory as a child was being personally invited to the Crystal Cathedral by Dr. Robert H. Schuller. Dr. Schuller invited my parents and me to a Sunday worship service. Dr. Schuller's secretary met us in the church parking lot and personally ushered us to designated seats inside the Crystal Cathedral. After the Sunday worship service ended, Dr. Schuller allowed me to interview him while my father recorded the interview with his video camera. After the video-taped interview, Dr. Schuller signed my Bible and also wrote "Philippians 1:6"in my Bible so that I could look the Bible verse up when I went home.


8. As a child or teen, what were your favorite books or stories?
As a child, my favorite books were books about Christmas (any book about Christmas). As a teen, my favorite book was Roots by Alex Haley. As an adult, my favorite book is Joshua by Joseph Girzone.

 

[“Paisios”]

Over the past decade or so, I've come to believe that an important part of our spiritual growth and unity with one another is seeing ourselves for who God made us to be as individuals. I'd like to get a sense of who some of you are. When I was running a small group on finding our hearts, I made sure the first few weeks were safe and comfortable for practicing letting down the walls and opening the doors and the shields that we keep in place most of the time. It was really just part of my master plan to help people to discover who God made them to be. But, I found that it was a sacred and blessed thing to start to see people for who they are free of the masks and labels and stereotypes we place on ourselves and others. I felt like I was starting to see who God really made someone to be and it is an amazing thing. Anyway, enough hype. Here are a few questions to answer, and mostly importantly, explain why you answer that way. The point is to learn how to start to lower our guards and not answer according to other people's expectations. I'll put the questions here in the first post. I'll follow up with a second post in a few minutes with my answers as an example, and then please feel free to jump in. There are no wrong answers, no expectations, just a relaxing time to take a deep breath away from the pressures of the world around us. Feel free to answer with a couple things if you cannot decide on one.

1. What is your favorite kind of water in nature?
2. What is your favorite kind of animal?
3. What is your favorite sound?
4. What is your favorite smell?
5. Where would you like to visit in the world someday, or what things would you like to see?
6. What is your favorite activity as a child?
7. What was your favorite memory as a child?
8. As a child or teen, what were your favorite books or stories?

1. I like large lakes, but also love the ocean. Why? I found God sitting on a lakeshore.
2. I love most animals, but probably the black bear - beautiful, powerful, loyal and protective
3. I love the sound of a babbling brook - a peaceful sound that reminds me of hiking EDIT: I'd like to change my answer please...my favorite sound in the world is the sound of my children laughing, hands down, no argument or doubt...not sure how I could have forgotten
4. Probably the smell of a traditional Thanksgiving dinner cooking - love the food and the company
5. I'd like to go back to Scotland, see Ireland, Israel, Japan and Australia.
6. Books were my friends when flesh and blood seemed absent.
7. Not really sure, but as a teen, sitting by the lakeshore, where I met God.
8. As a child, I liked the Hardy Boys series and Frank L. Baum's Oz books, but my my teen years Tolkien's The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion, and CS Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia were definitely my favorites, followed closely by most of Robert A. Heinlein's works.

@DeerGlow also started a get to know you thread in the Deeper Fellowship forum:

Getting To Know Everyone

 

[JCFantasy23]

1. What is your favorite kind of water in nature? Ocean -- I don't like swimming in it but find it beautiful and would love to be able to sail someday

2. What is your favorite kind of animal? - I don't have a top favorite - I love house bunnies, cats, dogs, wolves.

3. What is your favorite sound? - Rain and soft thunderstorms - my son's laugh - music

4. What is your favorite smell? - Lapsang Souchong tea is delish smelling. Also the smells of fall and anything cinnamon (not the candy cinnamon, but the autumn cinnamon)

5. Where would you like to visit in the world someday, or what things would you like to see? I'd love to go to Ireland - it looks stunning.

6. What is your favorite activity as a child? Reading

7. What was your favorite memory as a child? Probably Christmas mornings

8. As a child or teen, what were your favorite books or stories? I didn't have a number one favorite since I read so much. I did love horror, romance and mysteries