Listening is an act of Love Kim Eckhart

A precious woman invited me into her inner world as we talk about personal mission statements, staying connected, and seeing people as God sees them. Photo credit https://unsplash.com/@eyeforebony/portfolio

I haven't been as courageous in inviting people to have conversations with me this month. This is another conversation with my spiritual director, and I am grateful for her ability to listen so well.



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Even though I would rather be listening to others, spiritual direction is a discipline that helps me hear what God is saying. It is a practice that is similar to prayer, but I invite someone else along to listen with me. She asks me questions, helps me discern. It creates space for me to have a conversation with God that I might not have otherwise. It sparks insights. My spiritual director doesn't suggest, advise, or even encourage. She simply listens and asks questions. The messages are subtle and sweet. She is listening to me as an act of love. 



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My friend Cory is an intellectual who loves deeply. Both his insights into the sacred stories of the ancient world and his everyday acts of service spring from a soul animated by Love. His God is to him like water flowing in a desert.  Listen with me as he shares his thoughts on the delight he has found in participating in the perpetual movement of God toward justice, and little-known flashes of feminism buried in the Bible. 

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This is the beginning of a journey that I hope will lead to rich conversations, deeper connections, and stories that give people permission to think differently about faith. In this first episode, I have a conversation the lovely Sarah, a long-time and dear friend. She is a woman of courage and a justice-seeker, which makes her a force to be reckoned with. I am a big fan.

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