Just Listening…

In the past week I’ve had several conversations in which I’ve naturally used the listening questions we use in New Hope. One of those times was on a beach talking to the woman sitting next to me watching her grandson play in the rock pools.

What happened?
How did you feel?
What was the worst part for you?

The tools I’ve learned in New Hope weren’t just applicable to the 7 sessions I did with a group—they have permeated every area of my life. I find myself really listening to people, not interrupting, and just asking them these questions. People open up; at the end of the beach conversation the woman thanked me for listening and promised to read the book of Mark to learn more about Jesus!


We don’t live in a culture in which we listen to each other well.
We don’t often have ‘safe’ people to talk to.

Imagine for a moment that in addition to the normal stresses of your life, you came from a war-torn country and had seen horrific things happen to family members and friends. What if you didn’t have safe people then? What if your community didn’t have a culture of listening to each other? What if you and everyone around you had to carry your hurts for years, alone, and watch your children do the same? How would that affect your family, your community, and your church?

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