The 30th president of the United States said, “It takes a great man to be a good listener.” I would add that the same is true for a woman. It takes a great woman to be a good listener. How rare this is! I do not know if it used to be more common to […]

I was curious about how many of us really listen. So, I checked the research. It is pretty shocking: 25% of us listen. Apparently, the rest of us just talk. This means, if you are out to dinner with another couple, three of you want to talk and only one of you is really listening. […]

I have moved on to Krista Tippett's second "Foundations" podcast episode, which is a mere 8 minutes long this time. These four short podcasts are Tippett's re-launching of her On Being podcast and they are stunningly rich and beautifully simple. Each one leaves me with more to think about than my aging brain can take […]

There is a scandalous little line in the Psalms, when the praying person entreats God to 'bow down Your ear.' Consider the implications of such an invocation. A subject of the Most High, who ought to approach in trembling obeisance, asks the King to bow down to him. We picture the master stooping to the […]

"Prayer is language used in personal relation to God. It gives utterance to what we sense or want or respond to before God. God speaks to us; our answers are our prayers. The answers are not always articulate: silence, sighs, groaning -- these also constitute responses. The answers are not always positive: anger, skepticism, curses […]

When I resigned from my job over a year ago, one thing that struck me was how few people were curious about my process, my learning, my sense of conviction that led to my resignation. It was a rare person who asked me a question that stemmed from a desire to understand me. What have […]