Tag: listening

Some of Us Are Slow Learners; Like Me

Ryan@educationandfaith.com

If it is true that God doesn’t waste anything or any circumstance, then boy do I make Him work hard. I think of how much has to happen for me to be alerted to His nudges. Looking back at my last blogpost, it is embarrassing to see that it took 11 years of teaching f

or me to move just a blip toward professional competency. Although I’m glad that Zechariah 4:10, shows that God works through little details and “small beginnings”.

Slow and Stubborn

I can also find joy for His grace is sufficient for me. I often choose to live without tapping into His strength but there’s not a day that I’d survive without His grace. I’ve missed God’s cues even in glaring details that I’ve stepped over each day. Just this morning I’m sure I missed H

is higher route for me due to selfishness. An opportunity to serve a coworker crossed my mind. I declined. I was pretty busy. “His grace is sufficient for me.” There’s really only one reason I continue to require His grace.

An Abundant Life

After reflecting on my first 11 years of teaching and the progress I’ve made I can’t help but notice the root of the problem. My definition of abundant life has been severely flawed. I’m glad my God is patient because he’s only managed to gain a fraction of my attention through a dozen years of family arguments, job failures, and consequences of my many poor decisions. In John 17:3 Jesus clearly explains that the only ingredient of an abundant life is a growing knowledge of God. The knowledge of God, that’s all. It’s both a little and a lot. Honestly I read and understand this truth but my day-to-day mentality displays a still flawed view of life. I try to achieve my abundant life through my occupation, my family, my health, my golf game, and many other shiny things.

In his book Epic, John Eldridge writes that our purpose is for the restoration of life. Repent and turn away from my human desires. I’m so joyful to have a career that gives me unmeasurable ways to restore life in students, families, and coworkers. And God is definitely using my job to restore an abundant life in me. My last 12 years is a testament to that!   

 

God has given me an ability to gain knowledge of him through my daily interactions in my career. I’m curious if others notice these same opportunities in their workplace. I mean we spend a huge junk of our life there, I’m guessing God wants to reveal himself there.

 

Peace in growing through your workplace

We’re More Ignorant than Ever and Here’s Why

Ryan@educationandfaith.com

We have access to more information than ever, yet we remain uninformed.

“The first step toward change is awareness. The second step is acceptance.”  

-Nathaniel Branden

 

Reality. We have the exhausting task of dredging through the sludge of information.

It’s also why we’re able to connect so well to Lewis Carroll’s “rabbit hole” in Alice in Wonderland. In today’s culture we, like Alice, free fall down this deep complex hole of information overload.

This is why the industry of minimalism exists. This is why minimalism is so attractive yet so difficult to achieve.

Too Much Information = Ignorance

How?

Somehow as we have acquired access to unlimited information, we have also acquired greater ignorance. This is counterintuitive. How can we now have the ability to know everything instantly, but it still doesn’t dispel ignorance?

Responsiveness is the key. I recently read that there are three requirements to being responsive. They are caring, validation, and understanding. I think I could summarize those three into one act. Listening. If you’re truly listening, you are caring about what you hear. You are validating or confirming the information. Through your validation you come to a place of understanding. So why must it be so hard to listen?

Like minimalism, a whole industry for listening can be found in the self-help sector.

 

Awareness

Both minimalism and active listening preach awareness. I love that in biblical times the people would name places and landmarks based on the experience they had there. What an exclamation of awareness! In Genesis 34 Jacob labels the place El Bethel because it was where God revealed himself to him. Even their given names were changed based on their experiences. After wrestling with God, don’t you think Jacob’s eyes were opened when his name was changed to Israel, because he struggled with God and humans and he overcame (Genesis 32). His identity was built on that awareness.

We can take it a step further to see God even identified with numerous different names depending on the characteristics he was exhibiting. I’m jealous of the clarity these biblical people portrayed. This clarity requires a humble awareness in recognizing the circumstances one is facing and their response to that experience.

When I’m consumed with every piece from every informational feed I grow tired. When I’m tired in this world I lose my awareness. When I lose my awareness I grow self-serving and greedy. After falling down this rabbit-hole I find myself ignorant and unresponsive.

 

Name Your Experience

Reflect on your current circumstance, what would you name it? Name it, accept it, and trust God to lead you through it. In what area have you lost awareness? It’s a constant struggle and we need guidance.

We’re a kinder, more thoughtful people when we take time to reflect on our experiences.

May we be more self-aware, relationally-aware, and culturally-aware.

 

Becoming a Noticer: Seeing the droplets in a flooded world

Ryan@educationandfaith.com

The Advantages of Being a Noticer

Those that dwell on the actions and patterns around them can easily find purpose and meaning for their life in this world. When I take the time to consider the uniqueness of a particular instant, I find it so easy to fall into a posture of gratitude and service. It becomes so much easier to practice generosity when I notice the world doesn’t revolve around me.

How to Become a Noticer

See the Details
A Noticer doesn’t just keep up with the latest news, or know who won the game last night. The Noticer digs deeper analyzing and making connections. It’s easy for a teacher to see little Timmy didn’t do his homework. It takes a Noticer to consider the possibilities and connect the dots.
I have obstacles to overcome in this category. I have a habit of glossing over the fine details and nuances of the situation. In fact I don’t even come close to observing the intricacies. There’s been times when my wife has spent a full day transforming our house from an embarrassing state to remarkably presentable. I usually come home with a courteous response like, “Have you seen my good jeans? I’m pretty sure they were sitting out with my stack of clothes.”
So much for the posture of gratitude and service. 
Be A Listener
Another requirement keeping me from being a Noticer is being an active listener! Naturally I blame this on my male makeup. (Another lesson for the aspiring Noticer, Don’t Make Excuses!) I honestly don’t know how women can listen, process and respond so efficiently. I obviously have much to learn. Baby steps.
This is why i write, it gives me opportunity to be an active listener, a delayed active listener. My wife would probably just say, “A delayed listener.” I write to hear; I write to process.
Be Selective
There’s far too many details to see and voices to hear. So decide where you need to put your focus. Seek out the credible sources on this topic and listen. See how the details of this topic play out in the intricacies of your life. Lately for me it’s been about Noticing the nature of creativity.
So currently on my nightstand are:
I’m currently listening to podcasts by Jeff Goins and Tim Ferriss.
This is just my selection for my personal life, I go through the same process in my profession. Trying to become a better teacher in one specific area at a time.
Being a Noticer is not only for teachers, it’s for anyone attempting to sift and discern through the current world.
The more I notice about education and faith, the more I realize humility is at the center. Here again it’s hidden under service and gratitude. To become a Noticer, one must first turn his eyes away from Self. The hard part is keeping it that way.
While I’m not a practicing expert as a Noticer, I’m hoping to offer some truth through my faults.
 
Peace in the listening