All tagged listening
In these days, the gospel matters. And it matters when churches listen for the gospel and choose to repent. Churches that declare the truth of the gospel to the world matter. Such work is the work of Christian leaders today. The challenge in our world is not that the world has gone crazy; the challenge in our world is whether leaders will truly embrace the powerful word of gospel news for themselves, for their congregations, and for the world.
Although we say we are practicing obedience to God’s voice, we may be practicing something else altogether.
The intent of these little pocket phrases is simply to equip you with a diplomatic way to open the lines of communication and to acknowledge that everyone has a point of view worth hearing.
While sound can be a blessing, I do wonder if our need for and reliance on sound has hindered us. Sound keeps us moving regardless of whether or not we need to stop.
God deeply desires our presence. God never makes it difficult to experience His presence, but we can make it hard through our “spiritual A.D.D.”
These conversations were gifts because, though strangers, we were able to connect as humans despite the vile history.
If your biggest news is about an interesting insect whose path you crossed on your walk, then you’re onto something.
People are desperate to be understood, and listening is the most validating thing you can do for another human being.
Reflecting on years of teaching young students, I am reminded of exercises captioned “Listen and do.” Might this be a simple, yet awfully mature, set of ancient instructions?
Can anyone else relate to the image of crossing a river, standing on stones you’ve just thrown into the river from the comfort of the riverbank?
Music, poetry, the vulnerable submission of our blind spots to the examination of trusted others, and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit to breathe it all in. These are my prayers as we camp in new perspectives and different rhythms for a bit.
While the day was successful in terms of accomplishing my agenda, I realized that my greatest achievement on that day was that I got out of bed – despite the mental odds, self-doubt, and insecurities.
When at a crossroads, not knowing whether to go to the right or to the left, trust the voice of God who says, “Here is my way; walk in it.”
Sometimes, a health crisis hits a church squarely in the face. If the church possesses enough self-awareness, it then faces the choice to either make dramatic changes or else permanently lose health and vitality.
Our ultimate powerlessness levels the human playing field yet serves to unite when we courageously join God’s movement, continually willing to dance the faithful steps of contemplation and action.
Sometimes being faithful is the order of the day. And for those of us who practice leadership in congregations, we may need some different practices.
As we talk about taking initiative – getting things done quickly, efficiently, and innovatively – the reminder at the end is stark: learn to listen!
The first lesson of Christmas is to keep showing up even when your miracle hasn’t.
“Why don’t they understand?” is not our best question in these moments as we attempt to understand our country’s struggles or our sibling’s perspectives or our child’s hurts.
While the term spider connotes danger, it does not tell the whole story about the thousands upon thousands of species of spiders in all of their glorious diversity.
