Quick To Listen
Born on a Scottish farm, Evelyn Glennie began losing her hearing at the age of 8; by age 12, she was profoundly deaf, having lost nearly all of her hearing to nerve damage. Glennie says she was angry at first, but when her percussion teacher asked her to rest her hand on the tympani drum, Glennie realized that she could listen by discerning the varying beats as they rose up through her forearm.
Now 55, Glennie has earned global recognition as the world's first full-time professional solo percussionist, and she has made it her life's mission to teach the world to experience the kind of full-body participatory listening that she has mastered. For a brief taste of her work and theories, watch Feeling Sound with Evelyn Glennie (6 minutes). And for a deeper dive, watch her TED Talk "How to Truly Listen" (32 minutes).
As sisters and brothers in Christ who are longing to introduce others to the peace, hope, and joy of Christ's Kingdom, how well do we listen? Do we rely solely on our ears and discount a person or a situation when the ambient noise around us is too distracting? Do we pretend to hear but allow the voice in our brain to interrupt with questions, next topics, opinions, and agendas? What would it feel like to walk onto a stage barefoot so we can listen more fully? What does it mean to be a participatory listener, and how might it help us to better connect with our friends, family, neighbors, and those we have yet to meet?
James 1:19 reminds us that we should be listening first: My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. Are you "quick to listen"? What pointers can you carry from Glennie into the week before you? What a church we would be if people knew us for our profound ability to listen deeply and well!
Fun news: Check out Sylvana Candela's newly finished book now available on Amazon: Gently Heal Thyself. Congratulations, Sylvana!
May the Holy Spirit guide you to a new kind of listening this week,
Jennie