So Many Words . . . So Little Communication

Being a writer and communicator, I spend a lot of time reading and listening to other people. I especially enjoy learning from others as I read their work and listen to their oration.

One thing I've noticed that runs contrary to the desires of most people who find themselves in a conversational exchange is that the majority of people would rather talk than listen. It's such a simple rule of great conversation, yet it's so often disregarded . . . listen more than you talk.

I have made a living by being willing to listen far more than I speak. The dividends of being patient enough to be an interested listener are huge. Not only do you learn far more than you ever dreamed possible, but you also win the goodwill of the people to whom you were willing to listen.

If you ever take time to read through the Book of Proverbs (Bible) - you will be amazed at how often, and how pointed, the references to speech, to conversation and to attitude within conversational exhanges are.

Reading Proverbs would be a very good starting point for anyone who is seriously interested in becoming a great interpersonal communicator - take a few hours and have a look - I guarantee you won't be disappointed

The Art Fair

This afternoon my wife and I went a few miles to the west to join in the festivities at the Lake Country Art Festival in Delafield, WI. I have to say the one thing that stood out to me the most was the collection of people that make up the artist community. It was somewhat humorous for someone like me who sees things through a cartoon imagination most of the time.

It was probably just me, but I could have sworn that the artists and the art that they were displaying started to look like one another. Sort of like the old notion that people and their pets begin looking like one another after a time.

As I turned my attention from the artist community, I began noticing the other people around the festival grounds - the people who were there just like me, simply to see the show. I couldn't help but notice how the faces of the people passing by so clearly reflected the affect of their body language and the conversation or lack thereof with the people in their company.

The entire exercise in observation was entirely unscientific and purely subjective, but even an untrained eye can tell the difference between overt joy and barley able to hang-on to the day.

The sad summation of this whole experience is that even within a festive event, there are so many people that look like the last thing they really want to do is to cope with another day of what it is that life keeps bringing their way.

So herein is my question to the church. How many people walk through our churches with the same look of desperation that I saw today at the art fair? What do we do to speak life and hope into their lives? Or, do we let them walk through the church just like the fair goers walked through the festival grounds - they came and they left with same feeling of discouragement and despondency that they have been carrying around for . . . who knows how long.

I just know that there is something wrong with me when I see someone that needs a friend and I make no attempt whatsoever to become that friend. I guess I have a long way to go in the quest to be like Jesus.

Organic Church

If you haven't stopped by the Organic Church website, you really owe it to yourself to have a look. I mention this site because of its great content but also because of the increasing number of people that I am talking with that have an interest in learning more about non-traditional expressions of church.

Dictionary of Emerging Terms and Phrases

First off let me set the record straight - I love what is happening in certain sectors of the church world. I am a true fan of what is happening through Catalyst even though I don't fit the age demographic that makes up the majority of Catalyst devotees. I love what is happening in certain segments of what is commonly called the emergent church; and I can't help but love what is coming out of the missional church movement.

I have the unique advantage of working on behalf of the church here in the US by working with a ministry that provides week-long, self-directed retreats for pastors and their spouses. Having this position allows me to meet with pastors from all across the country either in-person or via email.

Regardless of how I become acquainted with pastors or parachurch ministries that support the church, the one thing that I have found bordering on the edge of hilarity is the buzz words that we have adopted and use in much of our communication with one another.

Interestingly, because I work with all flavors of pastors and denominations, I have to be very careful when communicating with these various individuals and groups. For instance, when meeting with a pastor from the GARBC (General Association of Regular Baptist Churhes) I probably would not talk about Body Prayer.

Conversely when meeting with pastors from newly planted urban churches that are committed to community life and missional living, I probably wouldn't ask about who they were planning to choose as their choir robe vendor.

So . . . all that to say, I've learned a lot by listening to these wonderful and highly diverse friends, so much so that I feel compelled to create a Dictionary of Christian Terms and Phrases. I see this dictionary being of great help to newly minted Christian who venture out beyond the borders of one or two church expressions. I can also see a dictionary of this sort being invaluable for parachurch fundraisers who are charged with the responsibility of calling on as many churches as possible to present their ministry offerings. Talk about walking through a mine field.

Let me know what you think about such an idea - either leave a comment here or email me directly at jhwatters@gmail.com