Dear Friends,

Travelling alongside the highway recently I was conscious of the incredible noise of the city, the hustle and bustle, the speed at which we commute, communicate and converse with the world and each other.  Is there a space where you deliberately intentionally try to listen to another, either silencing other noises and voices, or choosing to ignore them?  Do your parents and children ever experience your undivided attention?  Does your partner or spouse?  Do your friends?

As a teenager some sacred moments were when I was with friends late at night, when the city was more subdued and we simply spoke and listened, there was no sms' or calls, the night was quiet.

What would it mean to cultivate intentional listening in your life?  How would it affect your relationships?  How would your partner, family, friends experience it?  Maybe also to ask how do you cultivate spaces in your life to listen intentionally to God's voice - to listen as said by a friend grieving the death of his father - to listen to the God of the small voice and loud silences.

Today as we worship as the family of God how can we learn to listen to each other and to God?

Paul