My favorite show on television is NBC's Community because of its clever no rules writing and because of the character development. My favorite character is Abed who is insanely smart and 100% logical.  In the most popular personality test, which you can't avoid taking if you are in full-time ministry, there is a spectrum of feeling and thinking. If you place more in the thinking side then you are given the label T, and if you score more in the feeling side you are given the label F. I am a distinct T. I am not extremely on the T side but T, nonetheless. This does not mean that, like Abed, I have no emotions or even have a problem with being "in touch" with my emotions. In fact, my wife will tell you that I can be very touched by the sappiest of shows and nothing gets me worked up like preaching Grace.  It simply means that I lead with logic. In most cases, my decisions and actions are governed by logic and not emotions. So if I feel like doing something, I often check that it is reasonable and logical, not always, but most of the time. 

I'm a minority in the ministry field. Seems that everyone who works in ministry is an F and that's understandable. Feelings can dominate and a lot of our work is navigating emotions, responding to them, and allowing people to express them.  I married an F. My oldest son is, so far, a feeler. There is never any doubt in my mind what emotion that lil’ guy is experiencing.  I love F's, but I don't always understand them, and they don't always understand me. I take things at face value, so feeling that I should be feeling something because you are...doesn't work so well. My wife and I communicate pretty well, and I logically know things, and do things, that she likes. However, I still miss things and cues, get in trouble or just allow the unmerciful walls of logic to be too rigid.

One isn't better than the other, even though I like to be a brat and assert that T is the logical evolutionary next step to F.  They both have advantages and disadvantages. I like buildings with exteriors and interior stylings designed by an F but unless a T logically constructed the structure and systems that hold up the building I wouldn't want to go in it. I love abstract art, mostly because it's not so easy to analyze and make sense of. I have to view such art with my emotions, and I like that.

A feeler may keep things, hoard even, because the items bring certain emotions. They have all their year books and stuffed animals from years back. I threw most of that stuff out. However, I have a garage full of bolts and nuts and odd parts because I logically think that they may have a use someday. 

Of any of the traits, I do believe the one that changes most and moves towards the center as we grow healthier, it is this one. Leading all with feelings or only with logic is simply neglecting important tools we have been given. They say Jesus would have been right in the middle of the spectrum. Informed and led by a perfect balance of logic and feelings.

While I do not believe love is an emotion, love certainly brings forth a lot of emotions within us. The love God showed in Christ is often foolish to the wise (logical). And frankly, as much as we try to systemize theology, the Gospel does not seem very logical. The older brother to the prodigal son certainly struggled to see the Father's logic. Love was the rule. And while I believe it is both perfectly logical and perfectly emotional for God, we do not perceive it as so with our limited capacity.

This post has been inspired by the Parenting with Love and Logic class that I am taking with Christine at our church Sunnyvale Presbyterian. It's a great class that helps us balance our parenting with both love and logic. Empathy is important, but so is holding firmly and consistently to certain logical principles. I probably like it because we really are being taught to rely on logic more than emotion in our decision making. However, it asserts that we always lead with empathy. I love it for how it gives us tools that are clearly working as we parent. It helps me love my illogical toddler, respects his emotions, and gives him tools to make wise choices.  I recommend it highly and it'll be offered again in the Fall.

I can be like Abed, and as strange as Abed. Things are going on in my mind as I analyze and make obscure connections that leave people thinking that I am out to lunch. So if you see me and I don't clue in to the emotion of the moment, don't be afraid to say to me, "Stop being so Abed!"  It should be enough to kick start my F side.