Deuteronomy 6:4 is one of the Bible’s foundational texts. “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.” Theologically, this verse is foundational because it teaches monotheism — the existence of only one true God.

Spiritually, however, the verse is foundational because it identifies a necessary practice of faith — listening. The Hebrew verb for “listen” is “shema”, and it appears 1,165 times in the Old Testament. “Shema” connotes not only the passive action of hearing, but also the active response of heeding or listening with obedience.

Listening is also important in the New Testament. There, a foundational text is James 1:19. “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.”

In this episode of the Influence Podcast, I talk to Dr. Don Lichi about best practices pastors can employ to actively listen to other people … and to God. I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host.

Dr. Don Lichi is a licensed psychologist with over four decades and 53,000 clinical hours of experience. He is vice president emeritus of Emerge Counseling Ministries and clinical director of Safety Forces Support Center, which provides mental health services to area first responders.  

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Show Notes

• 00:00 — Introduction and Sponsor Ad
• 02:24 — Why does Christian ministry require pastors to listen, not just speak?
• 09:06 — How can listening help Christians foster better interpersonal relationships?
• 10:54 — Is there a difference between “hearing” and “listening”? And if there is, how do we pay attention so that our hearing becomes listening?
• 15:26 — What are some ways that our posture can signal, “I am listening”?
• 20:42 — What are some ways that our follow-up questions can signal we are listening?
• 33:52 — How do we listen reflectively, or mirror back what we are hearing?
• 38:29 — How does what we’ve talked about so far help us to develop the habit of listening to God speak to us in day-to-day life?
• 46:14 — What are you reading right now that’s interesting, helpful, and/or personally challenging?
• 49:01 — Conclusion