“In a lonely society, to listen is to love. And in a polarized society, to listen is to offer a winsome witness. . . There are no guarantees as to what others will choose to do when we choose to listen, any more than there are when we choose to speak. But we can take up a ministry of listening in the hope that it is through such choices that God brings reconciliation and peace into the tumult of our times.”
Christopher Gehrz, professor of history at Bethel University in St. Paul, MN, and Mark Pattie, senior pastor at Salem Covenant Church in New Brighton, MN, in their book The Pietist Option: Hope for the Renewal of Christianity
Christopher and Mark are right on! Learning to actively listen needs to be at the heart of our witnessing and discipling.
Amen to your comment, Ralph. We people of faith are all about proclaiming, but not so good at listening. I needed this reminder from Chris and Mark that our listening can speak louder than all of our words.
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