• Our hope-filled future is bound up in sharing the story of Jesus, in discipling others, in bringing those disciples together into communities of believers, and in developing and releasing those believers to create other communities... till Jesus the King comes again!

If I could dream

Posted on April 14, 2017 by wtdavid

Who would have thought that one day, one weekend would change the course of history.  Who would have dreamed of such an impactful shift in our world?

Thinking back on our Lord’s death and resurrection, I often imagine what went on in the minds of the disciples when Jesus appeared to them after His resurrection (Luke 24:36).  I wonder if the presence of the resurrected Christ brought a statement such as this one to their minds: “I would never have dreamed that …”  dream

Have you ever found yourself ‘dreaming’ of how things might go better if even small things changed?  Have you ever ‘dreamed’ about the potential that would be released in the ministry and relationship spheres of a team if solutions were found for certain issues that beleaguered them?

If I could dream, if I could envision how we as a global community of World Team would be different four months from now, I would see a community workers who ‘live out of’ the Gospel, not just ‘talk about’ the Gospel.

We have great resources available to teach us about and train us in the Gospel (for example, the Galatians study or Sonship materials).  Yet, I know of a lack of forgiveness among us.  Issues, situations or hurts from months or years past can be dredged up in our minds and keep us from moving towards others who are our fellow co-laborers to ask for forgiveness or offer forgiveness.  What happened to the Gospel in our hearts (Galatians 3:2)?  The Gospel stands as one of our guiding principles.  It is listed as one of our distinctives.  Nevertheless, our current lives cry out the contrary.

If I could dream, if I could envision how we as a global community of World Team would be different four months from now, we would be characterized by a lot more stories of people repenting, seeking forgiveness, and growing deeper in the knowledge and love of Christ.

Filed under: Forgiveness, Gospel, Repentance & faith | Leave a comment »

Ask who? (again)

Posted on March 31, 2017 by wtdavid

Ad made a comment on my blog post yesterday.  Here’s what he wrote: “”Go directly to the people you have the hardest time with. Ask them what you’re doing that’s exacerbating the situation. They will surely tell you.”  Mmmh, what about if the people are from a culture with indirect communication?  Would not a mediator be better to ask that question?”

Ad hit the proverbial ‘nail on the head’.  It’s why listening is so important, and why it is a skill that most of us need to be working on continually.  Not only will listening well help us benefit from the feedback we receive, it will teach us to look for the best context in which to ask and receive that feedback.

I think that is why the writers of Thanks for the Feedback: The Science and Art of Receiving Feedback Well, stated earlier in yesterday’s quote: “… then there’s something going on that you’re not “getting,” and without her help, you’re not going to get it.  It may be a cultural difference that you need to understand if you’re going to be effective in her market.”

Not only do we need to be aware of cultural cues that we may be missing in our conversations, but we also need to understand how to ask for feedback in a culturally appropriate way.  If you are from an indirect culture, asking for feedback or receiving feedback will look quite different from those who are from direct cultures.

However, what remains constant is how we will choose to respond to that feethanksForFeedbackdback. 

It’s funny.  I can read the title of this book in two ways.  I could read it, “thanks for the feedback” and in my mind say it with a very begrudging tone.  Or, I could read it, “thanks for the feedback” and in my mind say it with an honest and grateful tone; thinking what I will “mine” from this feedback that will help me grow.

When you hear feedback, with what tone are you most often saying in your mind: “Thanks for the feedback”?

Filed under: Crossing cultures, Feedback, Lifelong learning, Listening | 3 Comments »

Ask who?

Posted on March 30, 2017 by wtdavid

I’m continuing to work my way through the book: Thanks for the Feedback: The Science and Art of Receiving Feedback Well.  I fell upon the following quote this morning:

“The other surprisingly valuable players in the feedback game are the people you find most difficult … When we are under stress or in conflict we lose skills we normally have, impact others in ways we don’t see, are at a loss for positive strategies.  We need honest mirrors in these moments, and often that role is played best by those with whom we have the hardest time.   If that overseas client thinks you’re an idiot, then there’s something going on that you’re not “getting,” and without her help, you’re not going to get it.  It may be a cultural difference that you need to understand if you’re going to be effective in her market.  It may be that your tone and word choice are upsetting her in ways you don’t realize. That’s worth figuring out. And you’ll need her help to do it.  Want to fast-track your growth?  Go directly to the people you have the feedback questionshardest time with. Ask them what you’re doing that’s exacerbating the situation. They will surely tell you.”

My very first thought was, “Ask who?  You’re kidding, right?”

However, there is some nugget of truth in what these authors wrote.  That nugget might just be that there are insights that can be gained by expanding one’s feedback circle.

Most of us go to people who we know are ‘for us’ and we expect that their feedback will primarily be positive and encouraging.  In fact, the truth being said, our closest friends oftentimes hesitate to share honest feedback because they know what our reaction will be or they just don’t want to risk damaging the friendship.  I don’t mean to say that we won’t get good feedback from those closest to us.  However, we need more feedback from a larger circle in order to be able to grow further in our character and competency.

So, what would it look like to expand your feedback circle?  What’s a practical step you (and I) can take in the coming weeks?

Filed under: Character, Competency, Feedback, Listening | 1 Comment »

Listening to feedback isn’t fun

Posted on March 29, 2017 by wtdavid

‘Feedback’ is a word that has recently come into the French vocabulary.  It’s been in the English vocabulary for quite a while, but can have a number of different meanings.  We could say, in its simplest expression, feedback “includes any information you get about yourself.”

Giving-FeedbackHonestly though, we’re not really keen on feedback.  We’re not really keen on it because it touches who we are, what we do, or in other words, our identity.

With that in mind, most of us, when we give feedback, tend to gloss over the true growth needs of others.  We don’t want to ‘do wrong’ to the other by pointing out areas where he/she needs further development.  Most of us, when we receive feedback, tend to dismiss (read ‘argue about’) what was shared with us.  “It’s just wrong,” might be a phrase that comes to our minds after receiving some feedback.  When we are on the receiving end, listening to feedback isn’t a lot of fun, or at least that is how we perceive it.

I just started reading the book: Thanks for the Feedback: The Science and Art of Receiving Feedback Well.  Two things stood out to me in the early pages of the book.

First, every piece of feedback has some good in it.  We may not like what is said or how it is said, but there are nuggets of wisdom and insight embedded in that feedback that could help us to grow in our character and competency.  A friend used to say: “In every criticism, there is an element of truth, otherwise it wouldn’t hurt so much.”  Our goal in receiving feedback is to sift through what we hear in order to learn how we might grow more.

Second, we need to distinguish between several different kinds of feedback.  The author of Thanks for the Feedback writes: “Broadly, feedback comes in three forms: appreciation (thanks), coaching (here’s a better way to do it), and evaluation (here’s where you stand).”  As a receiver of feedback, one of the first tasks must be to assess what kind of feedback we are talking about.  Our struggle with feedback can often be the result of misunderstanding the kind of feedback being offered.  Or it can be the result of a mix-up between the feedback you are looking for (such as appreciation) and the feedback you are receiving (such as coaching).

Listening to feedback may not be what we long to hear.  However, with a learning posture, we will not only benefit from feedback, we will develop a strategy to work on those needed growth areas of character and competency.

Filed under: Feedback, Lifelong learning, Listening, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

Listening to God is just hard

Posted on March 28, 2017 by wtdavid

Have you ever taken an inventory of your prayer life?  I don’t mean an inventory of requests made and answers given.  I’m talking about an accounting of what you say when you pray.

Just doing a quick ‘check’ of the past few days, I came to the following conclusions:

  • I did a fair job of varying praise, thanksgiving, and prayer requests (little prideful thinking there).
  • Many times, I found myself praying: “And I want to ask you to …”hear his voice
  • Basically I talked and God listened.

Listening, as I wrote yesterday, is just plain hard.  It’s hard because listening is not about us, but about others and understanding what is on their mind.  Maybe I could rephrase that in regards to prayer by saying that listening is not about us, but about God and understanding what is on His mind.

At the recent Europe leadership meetings, the main speaker made us to take some significant time to just ‘listen’ to God in prayer.  ‘Significant’ for most of us means about 2-3 minutes.  What I took from that time was how hard it is to listen to God.  In other words, how hard it is to shut off our continual prayer request default mode and ‘hear’ Him speaking to us through His Word and through the time spent listening to Him.

It’s not something I am good at (maybe you feel the same way). It’s not something I can learn quickly.  It’s something I must practice.

I’ve picked up a couple of books to stir my thinking on the subject: Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, Donald S. Whitney; The Life You’ve Always Wanted, John Ortberg, and The Attentive Life, Leighton Ford.

Perhaps you might have others to suggest.  However, the point is for me, for you, to practice listening to God.

Filed under: Community, Listening, Prayer, Silence & Solitude, Uncategorized | Leave a comment »

Listening is just hard

Posted on March 27, 2017 by wtdavid

Talking is fairly easy, even if one is shy or introverted.  It’s ‘easy’ because we work to convey what is on our mind, what is our opinion about a topic.  Listening, on the other hand, is just plain hard.  It’s hard because listening is not about us, but about othlistening bisers and understanding what is on their mind.

Listening calls for double duty.

For one, we must shut off our ‘answer’ default mode, that is, we must stop thinking about our every response to another’s comments.  The point of listening is to understand the process whereby the other arrived at his/her thoughts.

For another, we must focus on clarifying questions.  In order to understand what another is ‘working to convey’ to you, questions (thoughtful questions) will allow you to sound out another’s thought process.  The fruit of this kind of listening is that it helps the listener know better how to ‘intervene’ in the life of the other.  It will allow the one speaking to actually assess the import and soundness of his/her thoughts.

Listening is a skill. It is a competency that many of us must work on.

I had the benefit of a personal example of skill-full listening the other day.  Two close friends were over for a time of sharing and prayer together.  At one point, I ‘vented’ about some the frustrations I was experiencing.  I made some strong statements, some exaggerated statements.

Our friends did not immediately push back on me, trying to prove me wrong.  They asked numerous questions; at times rephrasing what I said to be sure they had heard what I was saying.  The questions were in no way contentious either.  They were carefully worded, and their impact was felt much later.  Yes, there were some responses on their part.  However, their questions caused me to re-examine what I had been saying and the ‘steps’ I had been considering to take.

I think our close friends had the harder work that night.  It was easy for me to talk.  I know it was hard for them to listen.  The result, however, was that their work of listening turned me back to the ‘everlasting way’ (Psalm 139:24).

Filed under: Community, Competency, Listening, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

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