My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. James 1:19-20 - North Carolina writer Derek Maul This morning's post could easily be a book. So, instead, I'm going to keep it short. I …
Continue reading If we learned to listen maybe we wouldn’t judge so quickly….
Teach the wise, and they will become wiser; inform the righteous, and their learning will increase. An understanding mind gains knowledge; the ear of the wise seeks knowledge. Proverbs 9:9, 18:15 Typically, I delete comments from people who troll this blog when there is obviously no interest in actual communication. One example is a frequent flyer in …
Continue reading There is a lot of noise in America, but very little actual communication
They have ears but cannot hear, and mouths but cannot breathe. Psalm 135:17 Then he said, “Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.” Mark 4:9 To whom can I give warning? Who will listen when I speak?Their ears are closed, and they cannot hear.They scorn the word of the Lord. They don’t want to listen at all. Jeremiah 6:10 …
Continue reading “They have ears but cannot hear” (what I learned at the audiology office)
"It's the people, Derek. Nature is beautiful and the lake is pretty, but if you want to see God you have to open your eyes to the people."
Humility, vulnerability, and wide-open hearts may well be the cure for the malaise that runs deep and wide in our culture
the very first thing we must question is our own assumptions - at the entry point to any exchange of views, conversation, or potential conflict.
Any exchange that comes from an "I'm right, you're wrong" mentality is destined to journey away from truth. When dialogue is replaced by diatribe, discourse will inevitably devolve.
I believe an image that tells a story is a much more effective piece of photography than something spectacularly beautiful, but without anything to say. Having both is better still; but, given the choice, I'd pick story any time.
In an interesting, intriguing, vaguely amusing, case of twenty-first century irony, we live in The Information Age while failing miserably when it comes to effective communication.
Probably the most important part of the writing equation is listening. Not just listening to people, but listening to life as it happens all around me; listening and paying attention; reading between the lines; just having my eyes open enough to let the light in.
Derek Maul: Words, Photographs, and Food for the Journey 