A couple of stories to answer AJ’s question on yesterday’s post.
1. When we drive through Chicago, I always listen to the traffic reports. When I listen to the traffic report, I get cranky in the car. Not because of the report. Because of how I think.
The traffic reporter says the names of roads. I have to picture the map we are taking. I have to find the name of the road on that map. I have to figure out where the blockage is. I have to concentrate.
If there is any noise, if anyone says anything, the map disappears. I can’t concentrate. I need to listen.
2. Last week, I went to Biblegateway.com and chapter by chapter copied the book of Romans into a blank document. I then deleted all of the headers, all of the chapters, all of the verse numbers. I made the font 14 point. I printed it. Now I have just the clear text of a letter Paul wrote to some people that he wanted to see. I read it yesterday. It was different than I remembered it, less like a theology outline and more like a … letter. I could listen.
3. Often, when I sit in my office to write these posts while Nancy is in the family room watching TV, I turn on white noise. I’m a dialogue junkie. I automatically listen to the conversation from the other room.
4. Sometimes when I sit at my desk, I have to turn off the computer monitor, so I don’t keep looking to see if new messages have come.
5. On the other end of the building where I work, there are a couple of sofas. I often take drafts of what I’m working on and sit there. I work clearer.
Sometimes listening is about hours.
Often, it’s about attention.
300 words a day 
AJ Leon
Love this, Jon. Especially #2. Thank you as always, bud. 🙂
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Rob
I identify with and appreciate the term, ‘dialogue junkie’. Remind me not to drive through Chicago with you. 🙂 Grateful for your thoughts as always.
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Rob
Oh, and ‘Hi, AJ’. Thanks for asking Jon to flesh this one out. : )
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Joseph Ruiz (@SMSJOE)
Jon,
Thanks for the answer to my prayer this morning, was trying to wrap my mind around Waiting patiently for God to act, I think it might have a lot to do with listening. Also, I have to chuckle we must be cut from the same travel cloth, constantly check traffic; inevitably the moment the critical part of the announcement begins my wife suddenly turns to me and attempts to initiate a conversation – you would think years of cranky responses would have changed that behavior. 😉
Oh and one final thought – why check Chicago traffic? Isn’t it always the same? Stationary. 😉
Appreciate the post.
Grace and Peace,
Joe
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Alan Eicher
I too am a “dialogue junkie.”. I’m so bad I’ll stand and watch something on the tv even if it’s something I think is stupid. We bombard ourselves with media constantly. Sometimes I just have to cut it off.
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Ellen Perry
Great post, this is very helpful for me. Also, it’s only when i listen that i can hear god speaking to me. i need to remember to stop and do that much more frequently. thx for the reminder!
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jeffabel
Jon,
As I read your post, the part about cutting and pasting the book of Romans to get just the content, I connected. Sometimes I get too caught up in the headings, reading the right number of chapters and checking it off the list, etc. Here is a resource I have found to be helpful and think you might really enjoy. It’s called The Books of The Bible and it takes out all of the stuff you removed and gives you just the text – no chapters, no verses. I have some friends who worked on it and recommended it to me and I love it. http://thebooksofthebible.info/main.php
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Cheryl Hyatt Smith
I realized again last week that I must be intentional about being attentive. I go in spurts where I remember and am attentive for a while, then I forget. I’m a slow learner!
When Peter or the kids walked into the room where I was working, I closed the computer to listen. That mess of papers I started sorting, I finished and at least put them in sections to be filed. Maybe I’ll do that tonight… 🙂
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Andrew Bernhardt
I usually take notes on my laptop when I’m reading or studying the Bible. But sometimes I force myself to go to pen and paper just to avoid other distracting things that the laptop has to offer. (Now to relearn how to write intelligibly.)
And the cut/paste scripture thing? Great idea. I do that occasionally also and take it with me to work. I find even those cross-references in printed Bibles can get distracting.
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