1 00:00:02,720 --> 00:00:03,640 Speaker 1: Life Audio. 2 00:00:06,080 --> 00:00:09,040 Speaker 2: The questions we carry say more about us than the 3 00:00:09,119 --> 00:00:13,800 Speaker 2: answers we hold. Some questions open doors, some unsettle us, 4 00:00:14,280 --> 00:00:18,920 Speaker 2: and some invite us into deeper relationships, clearer purpose, and 5 00:00:19,000 --> 00:00:23,280 Speaker 2: a more grounded life with God. Yet somewhere along the way, 6 00:00:23,480 --> 00:00:27,400 Speaker 2: many of us learned to hide our questions, or to 7 00:00:27,520 --> 00:00:32,599 Speaker 2: rush towards certainty instead of toward curiosity. Hello friends, I'm 8 00:00:32,640 --> 00:00:36,160 Speaker 2: Alan Faddling and this is the Unhurried Living Podcast, where 9 00:00:36,159 --> 00:00:39,960 Speaker 2: we seek to rest deeper, live fuller, and lead better. 10 00:00:40,400 --> 00:00:43,760 Speaker 2: Today I'm talking with j R. Briggs about his new book, 11 00:00:43,880 --> 00:00:48,440 Speaker 2: The Art of Asking Better Questions. His work reminds us 12 00:00:48,800 --> 00:00:52,080 Speaker 2: that good questions are not a sign of weakness, but 13 00:00:52,200 --> 00:00:58,080 Speaker 2: a pathway the wisdom, connection, and formation. In a world 14 00:00:58,240 --> 00:01:02,520 Speaker 2: full of quick answers, JR. Invites us back to a 15 00:01:02,640 --> 00:01:07,600 Speaker 2: slower and more attentive way. I'll be back with JR 16 00:01:07,720 --> 00:01:19,920 Speaker 2: right after a word from our sponsors. If you're new 17 00:01:19,959 --> 00:01:23,399 Speaker 2: to the podcast, welcome. I'm glad you've found us, and 18 00:01:23,480 --> 00:01:27,560 Speaker 2: if you haven't already, please subscribe and share this podcast 19 00:01:27,640 --> 00:01:32,200 Speaker 2: with your friends and colleagues. My guest today is JR. Briggs, 20 00:01:32,280 --> 00:01:37,120 Speaker 2: founder of Cairos Partnerships, where he serves and coaches leaders 21 00:01:37,520 --> 00:01:42,840 Speaker 2: with a heart for formation, wisdom, and sustainable influence. He's 22 00:01:42,880 --> 00:01:48,800 Speaker 2: the author of several books, including The Sacred, Overlap and Fail. Today, 23 00:01:49,080 --> 00:01:52,480 Speaker 2: we're talking about his newest release, The Art of Asking 24 00:01:52,600 --> 00:01:58,840 Speaker 2: Better Questions. In our conversation, JR. Invites us to consider 25 00:01:58,880 --> 00:02:04,200 Speaker 2: how questions and quick answers can deepen our relationships, shape 26 00:02:04,240 --> 00:02:08,600 Speaker 2: our leadership, and draw us into a more spacious and 27 00:02:08,680 --> 00:02:14,120 Speaker 2: attentive life with God. We talk about curiosity, humility, the 28 00:02:14,200 --> 00:02:19,000 Speaker 2: questions Jesus asks, and the simple practices that can help 29 00:02:19,080 --> 00:02:23,080 Speaker 2: us grow into people who listen well and lead wisely. 30 00:02:23,840 --> 00:02:29,840 Speaker 2: Here's my conversation with JR. Briggs Jr. Welcome back to 31 00:02:29,880 --> 00:02:33,120 Speaker 2: the podcast. I was remembering a conversation you and I 32 00:02:33,280 --> 00:02:36,440 Speaker 2: had a while back about how important good questions have 33 00:02:36,560 --> 00:02:38,840 Speaker 2: been for you. As though it was really a delight 34 00:02:38,919 --> 00:02:44,239 Speaker 2: to see this book come to publication and then come 35 00:02:44,280 --> 00:02:46,040 Speaker 2: to my desk. I've really enjoyed it. 36 00:02:46,480 --> 00:02:49,640 Speaker 3: Well, thanks so much and al Alan, you and Jim. 37 00:02:49,760 --> 00:02:53,639 Speaker 3: I'm so grateful for your ministry. You all ask great questions, 38 00:02:54,040 --> 00:02:56,200 Speaker 3: so it's really fun to be around others who ask 39 00:02:56,280 --> 00:02:58,000 Speaker 3: good questions. 40 00:02:58,320 --> 00:03:01,680 Speaker 2: I'm with you and the value of them. I think 41 00:03:02,280 --> 00:03:05,000 Speaker 2: leaders who are able to ask good questions are not 42 00:03:05,120 --> 00:03:08,800 Speaker 2: bringing attention to themselves. They're able to give the attention 43 00:03:08,880 --> 00:03:11,320 Speaker 2: to the one who's being asked. And for that matter, 44 00:03:11,360 --> 00:03:13,680 Speaker 2: in terms of faith, I think questions have a way 45 00:03:13,680 --> 00:03:16,920 Speaker 2: of letting God be the one who is highlighted instead 46 00:03:16,919 --> 00:03:19,760 Speaker 2: of my amazing expertise about God or something. 47 00:03:20,680 --> 00:03:23,639 Speaker 3: Indeed, so much of asking questions is giving up control, 48 00:03:24,080 --> 00:03:28,240 Speaker 3: and I think that's really hard in our North American context, because, yes, talking, 49 00:03:28,720 --> 00:03:32,720 Speaker 3: I have the control of the attention of the conversation. 50 00:03:32,840 --> 00:03:35,600 Speaker 3: But when I ask a question, who knows where the 51 00:03:35,640 --> 00:03:38,200 Speaker 3: answer is going to go? And that's really hard in 52 00:03:38,240 --> 00:03:41,800 Speaker 3: our American context. So it is actually an act of 53 00:03:42,080 --> 00:03:45,960 Speaker 3: practical faith for us to ask a question because we 54 00:03:46,000 --> 00:03:46,560 Speaker 3: are letting go. 55 00:03:47,680 --> 00:03:51,200 Speaker 2: Yeah, that's well said. I think that's exactly right. Well, 56 00:03:51,240 --> 00:03:54,560 Speaker 2: I would love to maybe begin our conversation about your 57 00:03:54,560 --> 00:03:56,480 Speaker 2: book if to ask you if you would share a 58 00:03:56,520 --> 00:04:00,160 Speaker 2: little bit about your own journey with questions. How is 59 00:04:00,120 --> 00:04:02,880 Speaker 2: it that question to become such an important part of 60 00:04:02,920 --> 00:04:03,720 Speaker 2: your experience. 61 00:04:04,600 --> 00:04:07,560 Speaker 3: Yeah, I'm really grateful to have grown up in a 62 00:04:07,640 --> 00:04:11,120 Speaker 3: home where questions were not only valued but asked, especially 63 00:04:11,320 --> 00:04:15,240 Speaker 3: both my parents, but especially my father and oftentimes in 64 00:04:15,280 --> 00:04:18,200 Speaker 3: previous generations, you know, children are to be seen but 65 00:04:18,279 --> 00:04:21,360 Speaker 3: not heard. That was not something my parents embraced. They 66 00:04:21,440 --> 00:04:24,640 Speaker 3: really asked around the dinner table, and they'd ask when 67 00:04:24,640 --> 00:04:28,839 Speaker 3: we're at a ballgame or far. And that seemed normal, 68 00:04:28,920 --> 00:04:31,440 Speaker 3: because when you're a kid, you just assume your experience 69 00:04:31,440 --> 00:04:35,039 Speaker 3: as everybody else is until you learn and you're around 70 00:04:35,080 --> 00:04:37,799 Speaker 3: other parents and they're not good or bad or and different. 71 00:04:37,920 --> 00:04:41,280 Speaker 1: I just realized, Wow, their dads aren't. 72 00:04:41,080 --> 00:04:43,640 Speaker 3: Asking any questions, and I thought, maybe I need to 73 00:04:43,760 --> 00:04:48,400 Speaker 3: really be thankful for this. So and I also watched 74 00:04:48,440 --> 00:04:50,599 Speaker 3: my dad at church or with the neighbors or on 75 00:04:50,640 --> 00:04:54,320 Speaker 3: the sidelines of sporting events ask good questions, and I'd 76 00:04:54,320 --> 00:04:58,599 Speaker 3: always led to great conversation. And I began to think, Huh, 77 00:04:58,720 --> 00:05:01,320 Speaker 3: I'm going to begin to notice the people that I 78 00:05:01,360 --> 00:05:04,799 Speaker 3: look up to, and what are they doing with questions? 79 00:05:04,839 --> 00:05:07,760 Speaker 3: And I began to notice those who lived inspiring lives, 80 00:05:07,839 --> 00:05:11,599 Speaker 3: exciting lives. They illuminated other people, They cared well for 81 00:05:11,680 --> 00:05:16,159 Speaker 3: other people, They were always asked, really thoughtful. On the 82 00:05:16,200 --> 00:05:19,080 Speaker 3: other side, I noticed people who were self centered or 83 00:05:19,200 --> 00:05:22,800 Speaker 3: lived small stories, or didn't want to live beyond themselves 84 00:05:22,920 --> 00:05:26,960 Speaker 3: or have inspiring lives of meaning they didn't ask any 85 00:05:27,040 --> 00:05:30,920 Speaker 3: questions themselves or other and I began to say, there's 86 00:05:30,920 --> 00:05:34,640 Speaker 3: a pattern here. And then as I got older, I 87 00:05:34,680 --> 00:05:38,000 Speaker 3: just founded a joy almost a little game. See can 88 00:05:38,120 --> 00:05:41,720 Speaker 3: I ask five or ten percent of better questions, a 89 00:05:41,760 --> 00:05:45,560 Speaker 3: more quality question than maybe the average? And I just 90 00:05:45,640 --> 00:05:50,640 Speaker 3: got tired of ball talk of how are you, what 91 00:05:50,680 --> 00:05:51,760 Speaker 3: are you doing, what's up? 92 00:05:51,800 --> 00:05:52,400 Speaker 1: What's new? 93 00:05:52,760 --> 00:05:54,640 Speaker 3: And I thought, man, I want to go further than that, 94 00:05:54,720 --> 00:05:58,520 Speaker 3: because there's deeper conversations they could be had. And then lastly, 95 00:05:58,839 --> 00:06:02,719 Speaker 3: I just began to notice the questions that Jesus asked 96 00:06:02,920 --> 00:06:06,039 Speaker 3: gospels and began to notice, well, there's a lot of 97 00:06:06,080 --> 00:06:08,839 Speaker 3: life change that happened. And why would the God of 98 00:06:08,880 --> 00:06:11,320 Speaker 3: the universe, even in the Old Testament, who knows everything, 99 00:06:11,360 --> 00:06:14,360 Speaker 3: why would he ask questions? And the way the truth 100 00:06:14,400 --> 00:06:16,600 Speaker 3: in the life. You know, he gives lots of answers, 101 00:06:16,640 --> 00:06:19,719 Speaker 3: but he gives a ton of questions. If anybody had 102 00:06:19,760 --> 00:06:22,440 Speaker 3: a reason to just give answers, it would be Jesus. 103 00:06:22,839 --> 00:06:24,040 Speaker 3: And yet he asked questions. 104 00:06:24,080 --> 00:06:24,680 Speaker 1: Why is this? 105 00:06:25,120 --> 00:06:27,599 Speaker 3: So that led me to get my Doctor of Ministry degree, 106 00:06:27,960 --> 00:06:31,520 Speaker 3: and my dissertation was around that topic of what can 107 00:06:31,760 --> 00:06:35,880 Speaker 3: faith leaders learn about the model Jesus gave us asking 108 00:06:36,000 --> 00:06:42,839 Speaker 3: questions leaders and I jokingly called it questionable influence. Oh 109 00:06:43,000 --> 00:06:46,920 Speaker 3: and so that became a lifelong obsession. And I'm not 110 00:06:46,960 --> 00:06:48,960 Speaker 3: sure Alan, I'll ever get to the bottom of that. 111 00:06:50,040 --> 00:06:53,120 Speaker 3: I hope it's a well that never runs dry, because 112 00:06:53,800 --> 00:06:56,039 Speaker 3: I'm still a beginner when it comes to learning to 113 00:06:56,080 --> 00:06:59,400 Speaker 3: ask better questions. But I love learning and teaching others 114 00:06:59,480 --> 00:06:59,839 Speaker 3: to do this. 115 00:07:00,920 --> 00:07:04,640 Speaker 2: That's amazing. Well, I was I was noticing. I've been 116 00:07:04,640 --> 00:07:07,520 Speaker 2: reading some spiritual classics, and I was reading a collection 117 00:07:07,600 --> 00:07:10,520 Speaker 2: of some of the writings of the Desert Fathers and 118 00:07:10,560 --> 00:07:12,960 Speaker 2: I came across this one. Maybe you've already heard it before, 119 00:07:13,000 --> 00:07:15,600 Speaker 2: but I thought this was great. He says, Uh, this 120 00:07:15,640 --> 00:07:19,840 Speaker 2: is John Cassian. One is very close to knowledge when 121 00:07:19,880 --> 00:07:23,640 Speaker 2: one clearly recognizes the questions to be asked. 122 00:07:24,080 --> 00:07:26,880 Speaker 1: Oh wow, I've not heard that before. That's fantastic. 123 00:07:27,080 --> 00:07:28,240 Speaker 2: Isn't that a wonderful one? 124 00:07:28,360 --> 00:07:29,040 Speaker 1: Fantastic? 125 00:07:29,920 --> 00:07:33,320 Speaker 2: And you know that coming from the Desert Fathers to 126 00:07:33,400 --> 00:07:35,640 Speaker 2: me means even more because you imagine them as the 127 00:07:36,000 --> 00:07:39,600 Speaker 2: answer men of the ancient world. But that they were 128 00:07:39,720 --> 00:07:42,640 Speaker 2: they were thinking very much like like you are here. 129 00:07:43,200 --> 00:07:46,640 Speaker 3: Yeah, and knowledge often it often comes out in how 130 00:07:46,680 --> 00:07:50,240 Speaker 3: people speak, But wisdom comes out often, and questions people ask, 131 00:07:50,400 --> 00:07:53,000 Speaker 3: not just what they ask, who they ask, when they 132 00:07:53,040 --> 00:07:56,760 Speaker 3: ask it, and even how how questions are asked will 133 00:07:56,800 --> 00:08:00,880 Speaker 3: reveal wisdom or foolish in many. 134 00:08:00,640 --> 00:08:04,320 Speaker 2: Yeah, that's good. Well, so as you open the book, 135 00:08:04,840 --> 00:08:09,360 Speaker 2: you offer just a cascade of some really good searching questions, 136 00:08:09,480 --> 00:08:13,040 Speaker 2: really about why questions matter at all? And it seems 137 00:08:13,040 --> 00:08:15,559 Speaker 2: to me we're in a cultural moment where not many 138 00:08:15,600 --> 00:08:19,400 Speaker 2: people are interested in asking good questions. I mean, we've 139 00:08:19,440 --> 00:08:24,520 Speaker 2: got answers running past each other. Nobody's listening to those answers. 140 00:08:25,080 --> 00:08:29,280 Speaker 2: So why might this be an especially important time for 141 00:08:29,480 --> 00:08:30,600 Speaker 2: good questions? 142 00:08:30,960 --> 00:08:32,160 Speaker 1: Yeah, good questions. 143 00:08:32,400 --> 00:08:34,720 Speaker 3: There are a lot of obstacles that exist in our culture, 144 00:08:35,280 --> 00:08:37,959 Speaker 3: and some of those obstacles are we just live in 145 00:08:38,000 --> 00:08:42,240 Speaker 3: an attention seeking age. You know, we're conversational narcissists, especially 146 00:08:42,240 --> 00:08:43,520 Speaker 3: in North America. 147 00:08:43,679 --> 00:08:44,960 Speaker 1: And so what does that mean? 148 00:08:45,000 --> 00:08:45,200 Speaker 2: You know? 149 00:08:45,240 --> 00:08:48,040 Speaker 1: The joke is you know enough about me? What do 150 00:08:48,120 --> 00:08:49,280 Speaker 1: you think about me? You know? 151 00:08:49,360 --> 00:08:51,760 Speaker 3: And we just are always thinking the arrows are on us. 152 00:08:52,040 --> 00:08:55,560 Speaker 3: But we often fall into the trap of expertise as well. 153 00:08:55,640 --> 00:09:00,200 Speaker 3: That says, I already know, why would I ask questions? 154 00:09:00,200 --> 00:09:05,199 Speaker 3: Perceived as inefficient, not modeled well. There's fear of awkward 155 00:09:05,240 --> 00:09:08,600 Speaker 3: interactions or what we might learn, and. 156 00:09:08,520 --> 00:09:10,360 Speaker 1: It requires deliberate practice. 157 00:09:10,440 --> 00:09:11,880 Speaker 3: A lot of people say, I'd like to be a 158 00:09:11,880 --> 00:09:15,400 Speaker 3: better question asker jar, but I'm exhausted. I'm not sure 159 00:09:15,440 --> 00:09:17,760 Speaker 3: I have any margin left if I'm going to put 160 00:09:17,760 --> 00:09:22,240 Speaker 3: some effort into being a better Questionnai. But Wow, when 161 00:09:22,280 --> 00:09:24,560 Speaker 3: we're around people and you know this too, Alan, when 162 00:09:24,559 --> 00:09:28,720 Speaker 3: we're around people that ask great questions, it's honoring. We 163 00:09:28,800 --> 00:09:34,000 Speaker 3: feel love, we feel cared for, We participate. Our brain 164 00:09:34,200 --> 00:09:38,720 Speaker 3: thinks in new ways. Neurologists and neuroscientists have said that 165 00:09:38,760 --> 00:09:40,920 Speaker 3: when a question is asked of a human being. 166 00:09:40,760 --> 00:09:43,160 Speaker 1: They use the word hijacks our brain. 167 00:09:43,480 --> 00:09:46,360 Speaker 3: It's the only thing our brain can think about even 168 00:09:46,480 --> 00:09:48,440 Speaker 3: you know, So if I were to say what color 169 00:09:48,480 --> 00:09:51,120 Speaker 3: are the shoes you're wearing today, whether you liked it 170 00:09:51,240 --> 00:09:53,640 Speaker 3: or not, I just hijacked your brain and your listener's 171 00:09:53,679 --> 00:09:56,400 Speaker 3: brain for half a second to think what color is 172 00:09:56,440 --> 00:10:01,800 Speaker 3: the are my shoes today? And so it It creates wisdom, connection, 173 00:10:02,040 --> 00:10:07,520 Speaker 3: creativity deepens our faith. There there is not a single 174 00:10:07,559 --> 00:10:11,800 Speaker 3: area of our lives where learning to ask better questions 175 00:10:12,400 --> 00:10:17,200 Speaker 3: does not create goodness and benefit me and or other people. 176 00:10:18,520 --> 00:10:25,840 Speaker 2: After the break, I'll continue my conversation with j R. Briggs. Yeah, 177 00:10:26,160 --> 00:10:28,720 Speaker 2: that's so good. Well, early in the book, you know, 178 00:10:28,800 --> 00:10:33,800 Speaker 2: you share the remarkable story of Darryl Davis how he 179 00:10:33,840 --> 00:10:37,000 Speaker 2: befriended members of the KKK, and one of the one 180 00:10:37,080 --> 00:10:39,600 Speaker 2: of the tools, one of the approaches, was just some 181 00:10:39,640 --> 00:10:42,600 Speaker 2: of these questions that he would ask. So can you 182 00:10:42,640 --> 00:10:45,240 Speaker 2: can you just highlight maybe even more, how it is 183 00:10:45,280 --> 00:10:50,280 Speaker 2: that a question could be such an incredibly powerful sort 184 00:10:50,280 --> 00:10:51,160 Speaker 2: of opportunity. 185 00:10:51,640 --> 00:10:54,680 Speaker 3: Yeah, answers are good, but it allows us to be 186 00:10:54,840 --> 00:10:58,000 Speaker 3: passive because you're just giving me information. But when a 187 00:10:58,080 --> 00:11:01,160 Speaker 3: question is asked, as I mentioned Nero's scientists, that hijacks 188 00:11:01,160 --> 00:11:04,600 Speaker 3: our brain. It forces us to participate, either in our 189 00:11:04,640 --> 00:11:10,960 Speaker 3: head or verbally or with an action. And it's very simply. 190 00:11:11,000 --> 00:11:15,679 Speaker 3: A question is any communication piece that desires or necessitates 191 00:11:15,679 --> 00:11:20,839 Speaker 3: a response, So there's already participat into it. That's that's 192 00:11:20,880 --> 00:11:24,560 Speaker 3: what it means to ask a question. Heather Holloman, who 193 00:11:24,760 --> 00:11:29,200 Speaker 3: is a professor of English at Penn State University, she 194 00:11:29,240 --> 00:11:31,880 Speaker 3: wrote a book called The Sixth Conversation. It's a great book, 195 00:11:31,880 --> 00:11:35,120 Speaker 3: and in it she said questions are for two things. 196 00:11:35,120 --> 00:11:40,280 Speaker 3: Clarity and engagement can clarify you know what time is 197 00:11:40,280 --> 00:11:41,000 Speaker 3: the game tonight? 198 00:11:41,080 --> 00:11:42,600 Speaker 1: Seven thirty? Oh, okay, thank you. 199 00:11:43,280 --> 00:11:48,080 Speaker 3: An engagement is connection be with God, with others, even 200 00:11:48,120 --> 00:11:51,280 Speaker 3: with ourselves, of making sure we're engaged and we're aware 201 00:11:51,320 --> 00:11:54,840 Speaker 3: of what's going on inside of us. And so questions 202 00:11:55,360 --> 00:11:58,520 Speaker 3: have a way of doing things that answers simply not 203 00:11:59,559 --> 00:12:03,840 Speaker 3: it parts anticipates, It helps us think, It hijacks our brain. 204 00:12:04,840 --> 00:12:07,800 Speaker 2: Yeah, well it makes me think. You know, of course, 205 00:12:07,920 --> 00:12:12,360 Speaker 2: our podcast is unhurried living, and you sort of hinted 206 00:12:12,360 --> 00:12:16,200 Speaker 2: that in some ways, an answer oriented way of living 207 00:12:16,240 --> 00:12:18,560 Speaker 2: and relating to others is in some ways a kind 208 00:12:18,600 --> 00:12:22,280 Speaker 2: of hurried way to do that, as opposed to the 209 00:12:22,400 --> 00:12:25,520 Speaker 2: openness to question, which, as you said earlier, sort of 210 00:12:25,760 --> 00:12:29,559 Speaker 2: releases control in the conversation. Can you say more about 211 00:12:29,600 --> 00:12:33,520 Speaker 2: how that this mindset might help kind of shape our faith, 212 00:12:33,640 --> 00:12:37,559 Speaker 2: shape our leadership, shape our sense of community even. 213 00:12:37,520 --> 00:12:40,200 Speaker 3: Yeah, so we because we live in a culture that 214 00:12:40,240 --> 00:12:45,960 Speaker 3: worships that the altar of efficiency and productivity, progress, questions 215 00:12:46,040 --> 00:12:48,720 Speaker 3: can be seen, especially in places like the business world, 216 00:12:49,280 --> 00:12:52,920 Speaker 3: can be seen as incredibly inefficient and an anathema. 217 00:12:53,000 --> 00:12:55,079 Speaker 1: Wait, what are you doing don't slow us down. We 218 00:12:55,160 --> 00:12:56,280 Speaker 1: have decisions to make. 219 00:12:56,120 --> 00:12:58,680 Speaker 3: We have things to get to we have, we've got 220 00:12:58,720 --> 00:13:01,920 Speaker 3: to hit our numbers, and that can easily climb into 221 00:13:02,000 --> 00:13:03,040 Speaker 3: our soul as well. 222 00:13:03,200 --> 00:13:05,400 Speaker 1: To say, just give me the answers. 223 00:13:05,679 --> 00:13:08,439 Speaker 3: Maybe you've been as a spiritual director, as a coach 224 00:13:08,480 --> 00:13:10,959 Speaker 3: with others as I've been where they say, Jared, don't 225 00:13:10,960 --> 00:13:12,920 Speaker 3: ask me more questions. Just tell me what I'm supposed 226 00:13:12,920 --> 00:13:14,840 Speaker 3: to do. Tell me I'm supposed to live, Tell me 227 00:13:14,880 --> 00:13:18,360 Speaker 3: the answer, and I go, I could do that, but 228 00:13:18,400 --> 00:13:22,840 Speaker 3: what I'm doing is shortcutting your growth and discovery and 229 00:13:22,960 --> 00:13:27,720 Speaker 3: experience and even your own maturity. And so this is 230 00:13:27,760 --> 00:13:30,960 Speaker 3: important for me to ask, but it's way too important 231 00:13:31,000 --> 00:13:34,480 Speaker 3: for me to I need to refrain from answers. And 232 00:13:35,000 --> 00:13:38,840 Speaker 3: does it make it inefficient, Yes, at times the short term, 233 00:13:39,000 --> 00:13:41,119 Speaker 3: But does it make it much more effective? 234 00:13:41,640 --> 00:13:42,280 Speaker 1: Absolutely? 235 00:13:42,840 --> 00:13:47,080 Speaker 3: And we sometimes forget that Jesus's ministry was wildly inefficient 236 00:13:47,640 --> 00:13:50,200 Speaker 3: if we use the metrics of the modern world today, 237 00:13:50,920 --> 00:13:56,120 Speaker 3: But long term, it is wildly effective. And you and 238 00:13:56,160 --> 00:13:59,400 Speaker 3: I are products today thousands of years later because of 239 00:13:59,440 --> 00:14:04,559 Speaker 3: that inefficient yet wildly effective ministry of Jesus, and much 240 00:14:04,640 --> 00:14:07,760 Speaker 3: of that inefficiency happened he slowed down. 241 00:14:07,920 --> 00:14:13,240 Speaker 1: To love the care, notice the look, and to ask questions. 242 00:14:13,880 --> 00:14:16,920 Speaker 2: Yeah, one of the things you said really captured me. 243 00:14:17,440 --> 00:14:20,280 Speaker 2: There's a way in which being answer oriented is about 244 00:14:20,320 --> 00:14:24,440 Speaker 2: me needing to feel indispensable, Like I've got to somehow 245 00:14:24,440 --> 00:14:26,600 Speaker 2: feel important and they have to. I need people to 246 00:14:26,680 --> 00:14:29,720 Speaker 2: keep coming back to me for answers because what it 247 00:14:29,760 --> 00:14:33,240 Speaker 2: does for my ego or something like that. Whereas I think, 248 00:14:33,400 --> 00:14:35,440 Speaker 2: maybe we said it earlier, but there's a there's a 249 00:14:35,520 --> 00:14:40,080 Speaker 2: beautiful Jesus like humility in asking good questions. 250 00:14:40,120 --> 00:14:45,840 Speaker 3: It seems absolutely that's it requires so much humility. In fact, 251 00:14:45,840 --> 00:14:49,200 Speaker 3: when I talk about the four most important steps of 252 00:14:50,200 --> 00:14:54,480 Speaker 3: the Essentials the pillars of asking good questions, curiosity has 253 00:14:54,520 --> 00:14:58,040 Speaker 3: to be number one, Number two wisdom, three humility. But 254 00:14:58,120 --> 00:14:59,600 Speaker 3: it also requires career. 255 00:15:00,040 --> 00:15:01,240 Speaker 1: And all four of those. 256 00:15:01,560 --> 00:15:07,200 Speaker 3: If we have those virtues, if we have those posture, curiosity, wisdom, humility, 257 00:15:07,240 --> 00:15:10,400 Speaker 3: and courage, it's amazing kind of questions. People say, just 258 00:15:10,400 --> 00:15:12,080 Speaker 3: teach me the skills, teach me how to do it, 259 00:15:12,120 --> 00:15:14,760 Speaker 3: and I go, whoa, whoa. I want to back up 260 00:15:14,800 --> 00:15:17,120 Speaker 3: and make sure that we have the right pasture, that 261 00:15:17,200 --> 00:15:20,240 Speaker 3: we have the right mindset, heart set, because if we 262 00:15:20,400 --> 00:15:24,040 Speaker 3: just learn all the skills. Questions are so powerful that 263 00:15:24,080 --> 00:15:28,160 Speaker 3: we can actually manipulate pole with And remember the first 264 00:15:28,240 --> 00:15:30,680 Speaker 3: question asked in Scripture was not God, it was it. 265 00:15:30,600 --> 00:15:31,160 Speaker 1: Was the serpent. 266 00:15:31,920 --> 00:15:34,520 Speaker 2: Oh yeah, and he knew. 267 00:15:34,320 --> 00:15:36,960 Speaker 3: The serpent knew the power of questions enough that it 268 00:15:37,040 --> 00:15:40,600 Speaker 3: led to the fall of all of humanity. And so 269 00:15:40,800 --> 00:15:43,880 Speaker 3: that's why we Yeah, humility is there, but we've got 270 00:15:43,880 --> 00:15:46,760 Speaker 3: to have the courage because if we ask a question, 271 00:15:47,880 --> 00:15:51,160 Speaker 3: we might look stupid, we might look like we don't 272 00:15:51,200 --> 00:15:54,160 Speaker 3: know what we're talking about. Say, can someone explain this 273 00:15:54,240 --> 00:15:57,160 Speaker 3: to me? And that requires courage and humility. 274 00:15:58,800 --> 00:16:01,400 Speaker 2: Now, that's so well said. One of the things I 275 00:16:01,520 --> 00:16:07,560 Speaker 2: liked you mentioned how young children are masters of asking questions. 276 00:16:07,560 --> 00:16:09,400 Speaker 2: I think of my three boys when they were little. 277 00:16:09,440 --> 00:16:13,200 Speaker 2: I mean, it was constant all, you know. But something 278 00:16:13,200 --> 00:16:16,400 Speaker 2: seems to happen, doesn't it as we grow older. Why 279 00:16:16,520 --> 00:16:19,080 Speaker 2: is it perhaps that we don't ask the sort of 280 00:16:19,160 --> 00:16:22,160 Speaker 2: questions we were so very comfortable with as we were younger. 281 00:16:22,760 --> 00:16:26,640 Speaker 1: Yeah, when children under the age of five. 282 00:16:26,760 --> 00:16:28,760 Speaker 3: There's a stat and I'm not going to get it 283 00:16:28,800 --> 00:16:30,000 Speaker 3: right off the top of my head, there's something like 284 00:16:30,040 --> 00:16:33,080 Speaker 3: over thirty thousand questions something crazy like that are asked 285 00:16:33,480 --> 00:16:35,760 Speaker 3: by children under the age of five, and then it 286 00:16:35,920 --> 00:16:38,280 Speaker 3: plateaus and then it falls off a cliff when you 287 00:16:38,320 --> 00:16:39,280 Speaker 3: get past middles. 288 00:16:39,920 --> 00:16:40,560 Speaker 1: Why is that? 289 00:16:40,680 --> 00:16:44,040 Speaker 3: Well, there a few things. We lose our sense of 290 00:16:44,080 --> 00:16:48,320 Speaker 3: wonder because we literally no longer have fresh eyes anymore, 291 00:16:48,600 --> 00:16:51,000 Speaker 3: where everything is new as a kid, what is that is? 292 00:16:51,040 --> 00:16:54,880 Speaker 3: Where do clouds come from? Where is that caterpillar? And 293 00:16:54,880 --> 00:16:56,920 Speaker 3: we just now say, oh, there's clouds. Of course, every 294 00:16:57,000 --> 00:17:00,920 Speaker 3: day there are clouds. We lose the wonder number two. 295 00:17:01,520 --> 00:17:03,760 Speaker 3: And I'm an educator, so I'm not going to throw 296 00:17:03,920 --> 00:17:08,520 Speaker 3: the entire educational system to the bus. But there are 297 00:17:08,600 --> 00:17:11,920 Speaker 3: scholars that have said we they enter children enter as 298 00:17:12,040 --> 00:17:16,280 Speaker 3: question marks and they leave as periods. And I think 299 00:17:16,320 --> 00:17:19,399 Speaker 3: there's a lot of truth to that, where even tests 300 00:17:19,640 --> 00:17:22,639 Speaker 3: we're getting people to test the answers. How many of 301 00:17:22,720 --> 00:17:26,240 Speaker 3: us have ever received a grade on the quality of 302 00:17:26,280 --> 00:17:29,879 Speaker 3: the questions we ask through our educational process. And so 303 00:17:30,520 --> 00:17:33,600 Speaker 3: there's that, And I think self reliance, wanting to look 304 00:17:33,640 --> 00:17:38,000 Speaker 3: and feel important. Yeah, you ask questions enough, people are 305 00:17:38,000 --> 00:17:39,280 Speaker 3: going to think, man, this guy, I don't know what 306 00:17:39,320 --> 00:17:43,280 Speaker 3: he's talking about. Man, she certainly is not intelligent. And 307 00:17:43,359 --> 00:17:46,359 Speaker 3: so this is why Jesus, you know, he says, unless 308 00:17:46,359 --> 00:17:49,399 Speaker 3: we become like little children, which I had always interpreted 309 00:17:49,400 --> 00:17:55,080 Speaker 3: that as dependent aware of your weakness, your limitations, a 310 00:17:55,200 --> 00:17:57,639 Speaker 3: joyful spirit, not putting a mask on. 311 00:17:57,840 --> 00:18:00,080 Speaker 1: Those are all good things. But I it. 312 00:18:00,160 --> 00:18:02,840 Speaker 3: Wasn't until researching this over the last several years did 313 00:18:02,880 --> 00:18:07,600 Speaker 3: I make the connection. H children are master questioners, naturally 314 00:18:07,680 --> 00:18:11,440 Speaker 3: embodying the curiosity and wonder that Jesus referenced when he 315 00:18:11,600 --> 00:18:14,000 Speaker 3: said that unless we've become like them, we don't have 316 00:18:14,040 --> 00:18:17,480 Speaker 3: a part in God's kingdoms out like faith is revealed 317 00:18:17,520 --> 00:18:20,959 Speaker 3: off by the quality and the quantity of our questions. 318 00:18:22,760 --> 00:18:26,919 Speaker 2: I love the I love that a lot. Well, So 319 00:18:27,960 --> 00:18:33,280 Speaker 2: you mentioned that Jesus really was a master question asker. 320 00:18:33,800 --> 00:18:35,879 Speaker 2: I wonder as you think, And I think you mentioned 321 00:18:35,880 --> 00:18:39,880 Speaker 2: that might be like three hundred questions perhaps that Jesus 322 00:18:39,920 --> 00:18:42,800 Speaker 2: asked in the Gospels. I wonder if you could think 323 00:18:42,840 --> 00:18:46,560 Speaker 2: of one or two examples of him asking a question 324 00:18:46,640 --> 00:18:50,240 Speaker 2: that you are especially drawn to, or or that feels 325 00:18:50,320 --> 00:18:53,239 Speaker 2: especially timely for us, or or any other reason you're 326 00:18:53,320 --> 00:18:54,200 Speaker 2: drawn to them. 327 00:18:54,480 --> 00:18:56,679 Speaker 3: Yeah, it's it's hard to narrow it down because there 328 00:18:56,680 --> 00:18:57,639 Speaker 3: are so many good ones. 329 00:18:57,800 --> 00:18:59,639 Speaker 1: When I'm really hungry, one of my favorites is do 330 00:18:59,640 --> 00:19:02,560 Speaker 1: you have any to eat? Fellas? And that one I 331 00:19:02,680 --> 00:19:04,920 Speaker 1: just love the fact that and we laugh. 332 00:19:05,560 --> 00:19:08,880 Speaker 3: But when Jesus asked that, it's after he's been resurrected, right, 333 00:19:08,880 --> 00:19:12,160 Speaker 3: he's on the shore. And I think it's so important 334 00:19:12,200 --> 00:19:15,880 Speaker 3: that that detail is recorded by the gospel writer because 335 00:19:16,560 --> 00:19:23,400 Speaker 3: ghosts they don't eat. That there's a real incarnational element 336 00:19:23,520 --> 00:19:28,760 Speaker 3: to including that question, that this is actually Jesus' resurrected bodily, 337 00:19:29,440 --> 00:19:32,639 Speaker 3: not that he seemed to be resurrected, not that he 338 00:19:33,160 --> 00:19:35,119 Speaker 3: was a ghost, he was an actual human. 339 00:19:35,240 --> 00:19:37,800 Speaker 1: And what do humans do? They get hungry and they 340 00:19:37,840 --> 00:19:38,359 Speaker 1: need to eat. 341 00:19:38,400 --> 00:19:41,840 Speaker 3: So there's a real theological statement in that seemingly on 342 00:19:41,880 --> 00:19:44,480 Speaker 3: the surface cheeky question of do you got anything to eat? 343 00:19:45,280 --> 00:19:49,240 Speaker 3: But I love the Bartimaeus question in fact that I'm 344 00:19:49,359 --> 00:19:52,280 Speaker 3: stuck in my prayer life, or others are stuck in 345 00:19:52,320 --> 00:19:57,000 Speaker 3: their prayer life. I will simply say, imagine Jesus asking 346 00:19:57,040 --> 00:19:59,679 Speaker 3: you what he asked Bartimay, what do you want me 347 00:19:59,720 --> 00:19:59,919 Speaker 3: to do? 348 00:20:00,760 --> 00:20:01,040 Speaker 1: Now? 349 00:20:01,240 --> 00:20:04,600 Speaker 3: I live in the Philadelphia area, so forgive the cheeky 350 00:20:04,640 --> 00:20:07,800 Speaker 3: cynicism here, But sometimes I read that and I go, Jesus, I. 351 00:20:07,800 --> 00:20:10,280 Speaker 1: Don't know he's blind. What do you think take a 352 00:20:10,320 --> 00:20:15,200 Speaker 1: while back? What wants Jesus but a knows, he knows. 353 00:20:15,680 --> 00:20:18,959 Speaker 3: But he wants Barti mayus to know and bartim Mayus 354 00:20:18,960 --> 00:20:22,720 Speaker 3: to acknowledge. This is what I long for, I long see. 355 00:20:23,359 --> 00:20:25,800 Speaker 3: And so that question, you know, and then afterwards it's 356 00:20:25,800 --> 00:20:29,600 Speaker 3: a discipleship question because afterwards it says and Bartimaus was 357 00:20:29,640 --> 00:20:34,200 Speaker 3: healed and followed Jesus on the road, and so when 358 00:20:34,280 --> 00:20:37,360 Speaker 3: Jesus responds in this interaction, it forces us to want 359 00:20:37,359 --> 00:20:39,119 Speaker 3: to follow him. 360 00:20:39,240 --> 00:20:42,240 Speaker 1: And so that question, I'll say, imagine Jesus saying what 361 00:20:42,359 --> 00:20:45,800 Speaker 1: he asking you? What he asked bartimy, what do you 362 00:20:45,840 --> 00:20:46,600 Speaker 1: want me to do for you? 363 00:20:46,880 --> 00:20:50,800 Speaker 3: And I think as evangelical Protestants, we get a little 364 00:20:51,280 --> 00:20:53,800 Speaker 3: nervous because it starts to feel like name it and 365 00:20:53,840 --> 00:20:57,280 Speaker 3: claim it prosperity gospel. And so sometimes the pendulum swings 366 00:20:57,280 --> 00:20:59,760 Speaker 3: the other way where we don't ask boldly or specifically 367 00:21:00,240 --> 00:21:02,560 Speaker 3: because we don't want to seem like it's late night 368 00:21:02,640 --> 00:21:06,080 Speaker 3: religious television with guys in three piece suits and slick 369 00:21:06,160 --> 00:21:11,119 Speaker 3: backed hair and two thousand dollars watches and so but 370 00:21:11,600 --> 00:21:13,480 Speaker 3: Jesus says, you do not have because you do not 371 00:21:14,520 --> 00:21:18,040 Speaker 3: ask ask questions of me, and so I think it's 372 00:21:18,080 --> 00:21:21,879 Speaker 3: fascinating when I'm stuck in my prayer life if I 373 00:21:21,880 --> 00:21:26,040 Speaker 3: can ask myself, imagine Jesus asking me the question that 374 00:21:26,080 --> 00:21:26,640 Speaker 3: he asked. 375 00:21:26,400 --> 00:21:28,879 Speaker 1: Part of me. They are what do you want me? 376 00:21:30,640 --> 00:21:32,840 Speaker 3: And sometimes I can answer that in about four and 377 00:21:32,840 --> 00:21:36,840 Speaker 3: a half seconds, and sometimes Alan it's taken me about 378 00:21:36,920 --> 00:21:40,160 Speaker 3: six months for me to get to the very bottom 379 00:21:40,320 --> 00:21:45,960 Speaker 3: of my desire of what is it actually? And that 380 00:21:46,200 --> 00:21:50,399 Speaker 3: is oft the thing that unquirks a blockage in my 381 00:21:50,520 --> 00:21:52,879 Speaker 3: prayer life is just that simple question. 382 00:21:52,960 --> 00:21:54,640 Speaker 1: So that's why it's one of my favorite. 383 00:21:55,119 --> 00:21:55,960 Speaker 2: I love that one. 384 00:21:56,040 --> 00:21:56,240 Speaker 1: Well. 385 00:21:56,840 --> 00:21:59,600 Speaker 2: That makes me think of a question I realize I 386 00:21:59,680 --> 00:22:04,520 Speaker 2: ask people on coaching or providing spiritual direction to when 387 00:22:04,560 --> 00:22:07,760 Speaker 2: they feel stuck. One of the questions I've often invited 388 00:22:07,840 --> 00:22:11,800 Speaker 2: them to ask is something like, God, how would you 389 00:22:12,160 --> 00:22:13,080 Speaker 2: like to be with me? 390 00:22:13,720 --> 00:22:17,200 Speaker 1: Hmm, Oh, that's a great question that's. 391 00:22:17,040 --> 00:22:22,679 Speaker 2: Akin yours is beautiful because it says God cares about 392 00:22:22,720 --> 00:22:25,879 Speaker 2: what's on my heart. God cares about what's on my mind. 393 00:22:26,440 --> 00:22:31,680 Speaker 2: He's interested, he's aware. This other question says God might 394 00:22:31,720 --> 00:22:35,600 Speaker 2: actually want to be with me, and he might have 395 00:22:35,640 --> 00:22:37,199 Speaker 2: his own ways of wanting to do that. 396 00:22:38,520 --> 00:22:41,679 Speaker 3: Yeah, and Alan, while you're sharing that, and you have 397 00:22:41,840 --> 00:22:44,720 Speaker 3: years of experience as a spiritual director and as a coach, 398 00:22:45,119 --> 00:22:47,919 Speaker 3: what are some other questions you found that either you 399 00:22:48,000 --> 00:22:52,399 Speaker 3: ask more frequently than others, or that you have found 400 00:22:52,400 --> 00:22:57,120 Speaker 3: there to be great challenge, encouragement, reminder, or even connection 401 00:22:57,440 --> 00:23:00,160 Speaker 3: when you ask it with the leader's work. 402 00:23:00,960 --> 00:23:05,320 Speaker 2: Well, some of them are really simple questions. I find 403 00:23:05,320 --> 00:23:09,400 Speaker 2: myself asking a lot for what do you find yourself 404 00:23:09,440 --> 00:23:10,800 Speaker 2: most grateful these days? 405 00:23:11,359 --> 00:23:11,639 Speaker 1: Great? 406 00:23:12,119 --> 00:23:15,080 Speaker 2: In the back of my head, I'm thinking this will 407 00:23:15,080 --> 00:23:18,240 Speaker 2: be maybe a way for them to notice grace, like 408 00:23:18,880 --> 00:23:20,960 Speaker 2: this is a way to tune into how God's being 409 00:23:21,080 --> 00:23:27,480 Speaker 2: generous or being graciously present in their experience. Another really 410 00:23:27,560 --> 00:23:31,840 Speaker 2: simple one I find myself asking fairly often is what 411 00:23:32,080 --> 00:23:36,120 Speaker 2: is it that is feeling most challenging to you in 412 00:23:36,160 --> 00:23:39,679 Speaker 2: your life with God these days? And if they're willing 413 00:23:39,720 --> 00:23:44,800 Speaker 2: to be honest, that can be a remarkably revealing sort 414 00:23:44,840 --> 00:23:48,760 Speaker 2: of question. I find those two come up quite a bit. 415 00:23:49,320 --> 00:23:50,160 Speaker 1: Yeah, that's great. 416 00:23:50,240 --> 00:23:53,359 Speaker 3: I'm curious too, Alan, has anyone ever asked you a 417 00:23:53,480 --> 00:23:56,440 Speaker 3: question that stopped you in your tracks or hunted you 418 00:23:56,560 --> 00:23:59,600 Speaker 3: or stayed with you and it could be challenging you, 419 00:23:59,840 --> 00:24:03,040 Speaker 3: or fronting sin or encouraging you, and reminded you of 420 00:24:03,040 --> 00:24:04,200 Speaker 3: your identity. 421 00:24:03,760 --> 00:24:05,280 Speaker 1: And as the beloved child of God. 422 00:24:05,960 --> 00:24:07,639 Speaker 3: Is there anything that's kind of And it could be 423 00:24:07,680 --> 00:24:09,399 Speaker 3: six months ago, it could be ten years ago, it 424 00:24:09,400 --> 00:24:10,280 Speaker 3: could be last week. 425 00:24:10,560 --> 00:24:13,600 Speaker 1: I'm curious if anyone is Yeah, the throat wouldn't let go. 426 00:24:14,760 --> 00:24:17,080 Speaker 2: So here this is. It'll take a little bit of 427 00:24:17,119 --> 00:24:20,160 Speaker 2: a story, but I've shared with you. I had a mentor. 428 00:24:20,200 --> 00:24:23,840 Speaker 2: His name was Chuck Miller. And one of the things 429 00:24:23,880 --> 00:24:26,120 Speaker 2: he did in our early friendship, this would have been 430 00:24:26,119 --> 00:24:28,000 Speaker 2: when I was in my late twenties. I'm in my 431 00:24:28,080 --> 00:24:33,560 Speaker 2: mid sixties now. He took us to John fifteen Fine 432 00:24:34,040 --> 00:24:39,000 Speaker 2: Branches Beautiful And then about middle of that chapter, Jesus says, 433 00:24:39,119 --> 00:24:41,960 Speaker 2: I have called you friends. And then he read that 434 00:24:42,000 --> 00:24:43,879 Speaker 2: passage and such, and then he had us do a 435 00:24:43,880 --> 00:24:46,480 Speaker 2: little exercise. He said, make a list of all the 436 00:24:46,560 --> 00:24:49,399 Speaker 2: people who if they were making a list of their friends, 437 00:24:49,520 --> 00:24:52,320 Speaker 2: they'd put your name on it. So we did that. 438 00:24:52,440 --> 00:24:54,520 Speaker 2: I put my wife and put some of my buddies, 439 00:24:54,560 --> 00:24:56,600 Speaker 2: you know, so on. And then at the end this 440 00:24:56,720 --> 00:24:59,800 Speaker 2: was his question, and I was in a group of people, 441 00:25:00,280 --> 00:25:05,040 Speaker 2: how many of you put Jesus on your list that 442 00:25:05,280 --> 00:25:08,800 Speaker 2: it was a situational question, but that question has come 443 00:25:08,880 --> 00:25:10,880 Speaker 2: back to me for thirty five years now. 444 00:25:11,000 --> 00:25:11,560 Speaker 1: Wow. 445 00:25:11,720 --> 00:25:17,400 Speaker 2: Wow, Do I believe that Jesus actually means something by 446 00:25:17,400 --> 00:25:20,960 Speaker 2: calling me his friend more than just something religiously nice? 447 00:25:21,880 --> 00:25:25,440 Speaker 2: Is there substance to that? And so that question that 448 00:25:25,520 --> 00:25:27,639 Speaker 2: rings in my soul still? 449 00:25:28,240 --> 00:25:30,160 Speaker 1: Yeah, that's fantastic. Isn't that amazing? 450 00:25:30,280 --> 00:25:35,000 Speaker 3: How we've we can hear many statements, many of them good, 451 00:25:35,080 --> 00:25:37,800 Speaker 3: and we remember them, but there's sometimes a question that 452 00:25:37,840 --> 00:25:41,640 Speaker 3: can reverberate around the inside of our soul and our 453 00:25:41,720 --> 00:25:46,280 Speaker 3: mind for thirty five and it's still impacting today. 454 00:25:46,560 --> 00:25:47,439 Speaker 2: That's still alive. 455 00:25:47,800 --> 00:25:49,200 Speaker 1: Is the power of a question? 456 00:25:49,840 --> 00:25:51,040 Speaker 2: Yeah, that's exactly right. 457 00:25:51,080 --> 00:25:51,760 Speaker 1: Thanks for sharing. 458 00:25:52,600 --> 00:25:56,840 Speaker 2: Absolutely. Well. You know we were talking you and I 459 00:25:56,920 --> 00:25:59,040 Speaker 2: before we sort of hit record that you know, Jem 460 00:25:59,080 --> 00:26:02,040 Speaker 2: and I wrote a book that was framed around eight questions. 461 00:26:02,080 --> 00:26:04,119 Speaker 2: We said it was the subtitle of the book was 462 00:26:04,359 --> 00:26:07,240 Speaker 2: eight Questions that revealed God's work in you. You know, 463 00:26:07,280 --> 00:26:10,000 Speaker 2: the book was what does your Soul love? But you 464 00:26:10,600 --> 00:26:14,480 Speaker 2: right that asking good questions isn't just like a good 465 00:26:14,520 --> 00:26:19,560 Speaker 2: communication technique, but it really is a formational practice. Could 466 00:26:19,560 --> 00:26:23,040 Speaker 2: you talk about how it is that questions can help 467 00:26:23,160 --> 00:26:28,280 Speaker 2: us cooperate with God's formational intentions in our lives. 468 00:26:28,920 --> 00:26:32,800 Speaker 3: Yeah, well, if you think about why God would ask questions, 469 00:26:32,800 --> 00:26:36,280 Speaker 3: and the Old Testament again, the God, who's a omnipotent, 470 00:26:36,320 --> 00:26:39,560 Speaker 3: omniscient knows everything in control, Why would he ask questions? 471 00:26:39,760 --> 00:26:44,560 Speaker 3: It wasn't for his own information or relationship and connection creation. 472 00:26:45,240 --> 00:26:46,520 Speaker 1: And I think if we can go on that. 473 00:26:46,600 --> 00:26:53,200 Speaker 3: Sometimes it's for good information, for clarity, for enlightened or reminders, 474 00:26:53,240 --> 00:26:58,240 Speaker 3: that's great, But the formational side of questions are about connection. 475 00:26:59,000 --> 00:27:01,520 Speaker 3: How can I connect further with the God of the verse. 476 00:27:02,200 --> 00:27:06,880 Speaker 3: I would argue that any meaningful, healthy, long term relationship 477 00:27:07,119 --> 00:27:09,040 Speaker 3: that you and I have and all of your listeners 478 00:27:09,080 --> 00:27:12,680 Speaker 3: have in their lives have been developed because meaningful questions. 479 00:27:12,720 --> 00:27:13,840 Speaker 1: We're engaged. 480 00:27:14,600 --> 00:27:17,320 Speaker 3: I just don't know if any long term meaningful really 481 00:27:17,400 --> 00:27:20,760 Speaker 3: say what we're We're so tight, we're so deep, but 482 00:27:20,840 --> 00:27:23,919 Speaker 3: we've never asked each other any questions. It just doesn't happen. 483 00:27:24,320 --> 00:27:27,280 Speaker 3: And so if we want to have meaningful relationships, I 484 00:27:27,359 --> 00:27:30,080 Speaker 3: just don't know how we can do that without asking questions. 485 00:27:30,119 --> 00:27:34,679 Speaker 3: So that can be relationally formative in terms of a 486 00:27:34,760 --> 00:27:40,680 Speaker 3: spouse or family children relationships, but also spiritually formative. If 487 00:27:40,720 --> 00:27:43,159 Speaker 3: I'm going to deepen with other brothers and sisters and 488 00:27:43,240 --> 00:27:45,359 Speaker 3: also with the God of the Verse, I'm going to 489 00:27:45,400 --> 00:27:48,200 Speaker 3: have to get used to asking questions and being asked 490 00:27:48,280 --> 00:27:53,040 Speaker 3: questions and engaging together in them, so that formational practice. 491 00:27:53,080 --> 00:27:56,640 Speaker 3: I mean, one of my favorites is just like Theio divina. 492 00:27:56,840 --> 00:27:58,879 Speaker 3: You know what is it, Lord, You're saying through this 493 00:27:58,960 --> 00:28:02,080 Speaker 3: passage to me? Is there anything you want me to hear? 494 00:28:02,560 --> 00:28:04,840 Speaker 3: Is there anything you want to speak to me today? 495 00:28:05,119 --> 00:28:08,560 Speaker 1: How do I steward this faith? What you've entrusted. 496 00:28:10,640 --> 00:28:14,320 Speaker 3: Lectio Divina happens because of good questions. One of the 497 00:28:14,440 --> 00:28:16,480 Speaker 3: stories I told in the book, I had the privilege 498 00:28:16,480 --> 00:28:20,960 Speaker 3: of studying for semester abroad on Mount Zion and Israel Grusalem, 499 00:28:21,400 --> 00:28:24,920 Speaker 3: and there took a series of classes, and one of them, 500 00:28:24,920 --> 00:28:27,760 Speaker 3: on Friday mornings from nine to noon, was taught by 501 00:28:27,800 --> 00:28:30,800 Speaker 3: a rabbi. It was the course was Jewish thought in practice. 502 00:28:31,160 --> 00:28:33,840 Speaker 3: So he would walk over from his synagogue and he 503 00:28:33,880 --> 00:28:37,800 Speaker 3: would teach us a bunch of uh, you know, evangelical 504 00:28:37,880 --> 00:28:39,400 Speaker 3: Christian students, uh. 505 00:28:39,640 --> 00:28:40,920 Speaker 1: And it blew our minds. 506 00:28:41,040 --> 00:28:43,000 Speaker 3: And one of the things he did is he opened 507 00:28:43,040 --> 00:28:47,920 Speaker 3: up the Passage of Abraham sacrificing Isaac also called the 508 00:28:47,960 --> 00:28:51,720 Speaker 3: ake Da or the Adika, excuse me, the adi Ka, 509 00:28:52,200 --> 00:28:54,760 Speaker 3: and it's they call it the binding of Isaac. Not 510 00:28:56,520 --> 00:28:58,280 Speaker 3: so we read the passage and then he said this. 511 00:28:58,640 --> 00:29:02,920 Speaker 3: He said, Okay, here's your assignment. I want you by 512 00:29:03,000 --> 00:29:05,840 Speaker 3: next Friday. I want you to read the passage and 513 00:29:05,880 --> 00:29:09,080 Speaker 3: I want you to list one hundred questions in your paper, 514 00:29:09,520 --> 00:29:11,440 Speaker 3: put your name at the top, and turn it in. 515 00:29:11,680 --> 00:29:15,400 Speaker 3: And he said, do not give any answer. Just asked 516 00:29:15,480 --> 00:29:19,200 Speaker 3: one hundreds and I went what I could probably think 517 00:29:19,200 --> 00:29:23,040 Speaker 3: of five, maybe seven. And he said, and here's the thing. 518 00:29:23,720 --> 00:29:26,320 Speaker 3: I want you to talk with others. You're not cheating. 519 00:29:26,520 --> 00:29:29,000 Speaker 3: I want you to engage with your classmates and so 520 00:29:29,080 --> 00:29:31,120 Speaker 3: swap some questions. If they have some good ones, you 521 00:29:31,160 --> 00:29:33,400 Speaker 3: write it down. If they think you have some good ones, 522 00:29:33,480 --> 00:29:37,320 Speaker 3: let them write it down. Share together. And I thought, man, 523 00:29:37,320 --> 00:29:39,600 Speaker 3: this is still going to be hard. And by the 524 00:29:39,680 --> 00:29:41,240 Speaker 3: end of a whole week of working on this, we 525 00:29:41,320 --> 00:29:44,360 Speaker 3: finally I got a hundred questions in. But I found 526 00:29:44,400 --> 00:29:48,320 Speaker 3: that if I pushed myself to some deeper levels, I 527 00:29:48,440 --> 00:29:50,680 Speaker 3: was seeing things in the passage I'd never seen before, 528 00:29:51,120 --> 00:29:55,120 Speaker 3: such as how old was Isaac? I always assumed he 529 00:29:55,200 --> 00:29:58,000 Speaker 3: was some third grade kid with holes in his jeans 530 00:29:58,000 --> 00:30:01,160 Speaker 3: from playing on the playground, only to realize the guy 531 00:30:01,280 --> 00:30:06,640 Speaker 3: was middle aged. That changes the story. Yeah, So then 532 00:30:06,680 --> 00:30:09,360 Speaker 3: I say, why didn't the overpower's dat? 533 00:30:10,760 --> 00:30:13,360 Speaker 1: What did the servants who were journeying up the mountain 534 00:30:13,400 --> 00:30:14,440 Speaker 1: with them? What did they think? 535 00:30:14,520 --> 00:30:18,920 Speaker 3: And here's the stumper for me, why is it that 536 00:30:19,000 --> 00:30:25,200 Speaker 3: there's no after that story? There's not again a recorded 537 00:30:26,720 --> 00:30:34,640 Speaker 3: interaction between Abraham and Sarah rest and I went ooh, 538 00:30:35,440 --> 00:30:38,480 Speaker 3: can I humanize this? You know, Sarah, you know see 539 00:30:38,520 --> 00:30:39,240 Speaker 3: an Abraham home? 540 00:30:39,480 --> 00:30:43,240 Speaker 1: You did? What? What did you do? What did you hear? 541 00:30:43,800 --> 00:30:45,800 Speaker 1: You're kidding? Really, Abe? 542 00:30:46,400 --> 00:30:50,520 Speaker 3: And so anyway, all that that was an amazing practice. 543 00:30:50,640 --> 00:30:52,040 Speaker 1: And it's and it's. 544 00:30:53,280 --> 00:30:58,800 Speaker 3: It's called haruta, and haruta simply means conversation, partner or friendship, 545 00:30:59,280 --> 00:31:01,640 Speaker 3: and so it's where you have a conversation with other 546 00:31:01,720 --> 00:31:05,920 Speaker 3: partners around a passage. So that practice has been incredibly 547 00:31:05,960 --> 00:31:09,200 Speaker 3: fruitful for me of just taking a passage of scripture 548 00:31:09,680 --> 00:31:12,120 Speaker 3: and asking not one hundred, but you can choose ten 549 00:31:12,240 --> 00:31:16,240 Speaker 3: or fifteen or twenty questions and the amount of depth. 550 00:31:16,280 --> 00:31:19,280 Speaker 3: I love doing this with groups and just say let's 551 00:31:19,280 --> 00:31:21,760 Speaker 3: read the passage. I want you to pair up and 552 00:31:21,800 --> 00:31:23,920 Speaker 3: I'll give you ten minutes. I want you to develop 553 00:31:23,960 --> 00:31:26,440 Speaker 3: ten to twelve questions and let's come back and talk 554 00:31:26,480 --> 00:31:26,960 Speaker 3: about it. 555 00:31:27,560 --> 00:31:30,080 Speaker 1: Which is an amazing way not to doubt the passage. 556 00:31:30,120 --> 00:31:35,160 Speaker 3: It's not questioning, it's question asking to learn and explore 557 00:31:35,200 --> 00:31:37,880 Speaker 3: the passage more. And then at the end, I say, 558 00:31:37,960 --> 00:31:41,160 Speaker 3: raise your hand if you saw things in this story 559 00:31:41,640 --> 00:31:45,800 Speaker 3: that you've never seen before before doing kavruta. 560 00:31:46,160 --> 00:31:47,640 Speaker 1: Every hand goes up everything. 561 00:31:48,720 --> 00:31:51,360 Speaker 3: And so I think this is this is actually how 562 00:31:51,640 --> 00:31:56,200 Speaker 3: Jewish yeshiva's you know, seminaries or Bible you know, sort 563 00:31:56,200 --> 00:32:01,280 Speaker 3: of Torah schools. This is how they teach the passages scripture. 564 00:32:01,440 --> 00:32:05,440 Speaker 3: It's not a rabbi brilliantly lecturing while everyone passively takes notes. 565 00:32:06,160 --> 00:32:11,840 Speaker 3: It's engaging in jabruta around passages, using questions. That's how 566 00:32:11,920 --> 00:32:12,400 Speaker 3: they learned. 567 00:32:13,280 --> 00:32:18,440 Speaker 2: Isn't that amazing? I wish our approach to education included 568 00:32:18,440 --> 00:32:20,040 Speaker 2: at least a little bit more of that. 569 00:32:20,680 --> 00:32:23,040 Speaker 1: Yes, absolutely, absolutely. 570 00:32:23,440 --> 00:32:27,200 Speaker 3: And the original word education alan actually came from the 571 00:32:27,200 --> 00:32:31,040 Speaker 3: word educe, not reduce, but educe. And it's not a 572 00:32:31,040 --> 00:32:33,400 Speaker 3: word we often use a lot, but reduce means to 573 00:32:33,520 --> 00:32:36,040 Speaker 3: draw out or to wake up something that's been in 574 00:32:36,120 --> 00:32:40,200 Speaker 3: a latent state. And so the original thing was believing 575 00:32:40,280 --> 00:32:42,800 Speaker 3: that this little student had what was inside of them, 576 00:32:42,960 --> 00:32:47,080 Speaker 3: and the educator's job was to educe, to wake up, 577 00:32:47,160 --> 00:32:49,440 Speaker 3: or pull out or draw out what was already in 578 00:32:49,480 --> 00:32:53,160 Speaker 3: the student. It's been bastardized a little bit. Now it 579 00:32:53,280 --> 00:32:56,760 Speaker 3: means open up brain, insert information, closed brain. That's what 580 00:32:56,920 --> 00:33:00,800 Speaker 3: education in our modern world means. But the original word 581 00:33:01,160 --> 00:33:05,400 Speaker 3: educate was to educe with the students, draw out. 582 00:33:05,720 --> 00:33:08,360 Speaker 1: And as coaches and spiritual directors, alan you and I 583 00:33:08,440 --> 00:33:10,680 Speaker 1: know we're trying. 584 00:33:10,400 --> 00:33:14,360 Speaker 3: To draw out what the Holy Spirit is doing inside someone. 585 00:33:14,320 --> 00:33:15,560 Speaker 1: We are eating very much. 586 00:33:15,960 --> 00:33:21,360 Speaker 3: And a good question asker reduces good stories, hopes, fears 587 00:33:22,200 --> 00:33:28,120 Speaker 3: or desires or plans fears. So anyway, that's that idea 588 00:33:28,160 --> 00:33:31,479 Speaker 3: of reducing. I find that my role is to be 589 00:33:31,560 --> 00:33:33,640 Speaker 3: a spiritual educer in. 590 00:33:34,000 --> 00:33:38,760 Speaker 2: No I think that is beautiful. So as I hear 591 00:33:38,800 --> 00:33:41,280 Speaker 2: you say that, it makes me, it makes me kind 592 00:33:41,280 --> 00:33:45,120 Speaker 2: of think of many in our audience will have leadership roles, 593 00:33:45,120 --> 00:33:49,480 Speaker 2: maybe organizational leadership roles, and I think probably a lot 594 00:33:49,520 --> 00:33:53,200 Speaker 2: of the modeling in that kind of organization leadership is 595 00:33:53,280 --> 00:33:59,360 Speaker 2: far more answer oriented than question oriented. So maybe think 596 00:33:59,400 --> 00:34:04,040 Speaker 2: out loud for us about how might an organizational leader 597 00:34:04,640 --> 00:34:09,719 Speaker 2: find more of a question asking orientation fruitful in the 598 00:34:09,719 --> 00:34:13,000 Speaker 2: way they lead a church or a nonprofit or business 599 00:34:13,080 --> 00:34:13,560 Speaker 2: or whatever. 600 00:34:14,640 --> 00:34:19,040 Speaker 3: Yeah, the late leadership and organizational guru Peter Drucker, he 601 00:34:19,080 --> 00:34:21,120 Speaker 3: had this great line. So the leader of the past 602 00:34:21,680 --> 00:34:23,759 Speaker 3: may have been the person who know how to tell, 603 00:34:23,840 --> 00:34:25,719 Speaker 3: but the leader of the future will be the person 604 00:34:25,800 --> 00:34:29,960 Speaker 3: who knows how to ask. What's fascinating is he wrote 605 00:34:29,960 --> 00:34:33,520 Speaker 3: that a few decades ago, and I think it's more 606 00:34:33,840 --> 00:34:36,160 Speaker 3: true today than it was even when he said it. 607 00:34:36,280 --> 00:34:41,480 Speaker 3: Very precient statement. The best leaders I know are curious amplifiers. 608 00:34:41,840 --> 00:34:45,080 Speaker 3: They're really curious about the world and they seek to 609 00:34:45,200 --> 00:34:48,480 Speaker 3: amplify and help other people succeed. They don't need to 610 00:34:48,480 --> 00:34:50,879 Speaker 3: get the credit, they don't need to push people down 611 00:34:50,960 --> 00:34:54,920 Speaker 3: so that they look greater. They're actually trying to amplify 612 00:34:55,040 --> 00:34:58,759 Speaker 3: other people, and they do that by curiosity. And so 613 00:34:58,920 --> 00:35:03,759 Speaker 3: that phrase, curious amplifiers, it becomes an important definition for 614 00:35:03,840 --> 00:35:06,800 Speaker 3: me of what leaders actually are and what we're called 615 00:35:06,840 --> 00:35:09,879 Speaker 3: to be. You know, if we want information, we can 616 00:35:09,960 --> 00:35:13,880 Speaker 3: google it, and Google can provide information chat GPT, but 617 00:35:14,040 --> 00:35:18,560 Speaker 3: only genuine questions really create that clarity and connection that 618 00:35:18,600 --> 00:35:24,319 Speaker 3: effective leadership requires. Trust is the fuel by which the 619 00:35:24,440 --> 00:35:26,560 Speaker 3: leadership engine runs, and. 620 00:35:26,560 --> 00:35:30,120 Speaker 1: I can think of no better way to develop trust than. 621 00:35:30,000 --> 00:35:36,520 Speaker 3: To ask very thoughtful, engaging, caring, humble, and courageous questions. 622 00:35:37,160 --> 00:35:40,480 Speaker 2: Yeah, oh, that's so well said. Well, maybe as we 623 00:35:40,600 --> 00:35:44,120 Speaker 2: close our conversation, I'm just thinking, in the final section 624 00:35:44,239 --> 00:35:47,600 Speaker 2: of your book, you offer some real practical guidance on 625 00:35:48,000 --> 00:35:52,800 Speaker 2: how to grow as one who asks good questions good questions, 626 00:35:52,840 --> 00:35:55,040 Speaker 2: and so I wonder if you could just give us 627 00:35:55,239 --> 00:35:57,239 Speaker 2: a little bit of insight. Obviously we'll read the book 628 00:35:57,280 --> 00:36:00,359 Speaker 2: and get all of your wisdom on that, but maybe 629 00:36:00,400 --> 00:36:02,080 Speaker 2: just a little bit of guidance on how could we 630 00:36:02,160 --> 00:36:05,320 Speaker 2: improve in the way in which we ask questions good ones. 631 00:36:06,040 --> 00:36:07,719 Speaker 3: Yeah, the last third of the book I tried to 632 00:36:07,719 --> 00:36:11,200 Speaker 3: be ridiculously practical of what we can do preparing to 633 00:36:11,239 --> 00:36:14,040 Speaker 3: ask great questions, what we can do when we're engaging 634 00:36:14,080 --> 00:36:17,680 Speaker 3: in conversations in real time, and then also after the fact, 635 00:36:18,040 --> 00:36:20,440 Speaker 3: how can we reflect on that help us grow to 636 00:36:20,480 --> 00:36:23,279 Speaker 3: be better. But here are a few, and I try 637 00:36:23,280 --> 00:36:25,799 Speaker 3: to be really creative with a lot of these to 638 00:36:25,840 --> 00:36:28,520 Speaker 3: have fun with it. But when people, you know, just 639 00:36:28,560 --> 00:36:32,080 Speaker 3: being aware, I think it's the first important part. So 640 00:36:33,320 --> 00:36:35,839 Speaker 3: if you hear I just very simply, if you hear 641 00:36:36,040 --> 00:36:37,840 Speaker 3: a really good, thoughtful. 642 00:36:37,520 --> 00:36:40,399 Speaker 1: Question, write it down, write it down. 643 00:36:40,840 --> 00:36:43,480 Speaker 3: And I encourage people, whether it's a notebook or an 644 00:36:43,560 --> 00:36:46,279 Speaker 3: index card in their purse or the note section of 645 00:36:46,280 --> 00:36:49,440 Speaker 3: their phone, to just have a list called. 646 00:36:49,320 --> 00:36:52,239 Speaker 1: Really good questions and to just write them down. 647 00:36:52,280 --> 00:36:54,759 Speaker 3: It could be on a billboard, it could be overhearing 648 00:36:54,760 --> 00:36:57,360 Speaker 3: someone in line at the coffee shop or the post office. 649 00:36:57,880 --> 00:37:01,439 Speaker 1: It can be a podcast. It could be something you've 650 00:37:01,480 --> 00:37:03,640 Speaker 1: asked or you were asked. Write it down. 651 00:37:04,120 --> 00:37:06,759 Speaker 3: Our brains are not good to remember all those so 652 00:37:06,800 --> 00:37:09,240 Speaker 3: we need to write them down. And so some people 653 00:37:09,239 --> 00:37:12,440 Speaker 3: have kept the questions journal, a journal just for a 654 00:37:12,480 --> 00:37:15,680 Speaker 3: good question, and I have that. I got my journal 655 00:37:15,680 --> 00:37:18,120 Speaker 3: across the room here, but in the back flap of 656 00:37:18,160 --> 00:37:21,040 Speaker 3: my journal, every journal I have in that season, if 657 00:37:21,040 --> 00:37:23,080 Speaker 3: I come across a good question or think of one, 658 00:37:23,560 --> 00:37:25,319 Speaker 3: I will write it down. You don't have to come 659 00:37:25,400 --> 00:37:30,000 Speaker 3: up with all the questions yourself. Can steal and borrow 660 00:37:30,200 --> 00:37:34,920 Speaker 3: and tweak and adapt them to your own context. You 661 00:37:34,920 --> 00:37:37,160 Speaker 3: can give credit where credit's due, but you don't have 662 00:37:37,200 --> 00:37:39,279 Speaker 3: to come up with all the brilliant one so that's 663 00:37:39,360 --> 00:37:41,640 Speaker 3: the first one. The second one is to do all 664 00:37:41,680 --> 00:37:42,360 Speaker 3: we can. 665 00:37:42,560 --> 00:37:46,920 Speaker 1: To avoid lazy questions. I think, what's up? How are you? 666 00:37:47,280 --> 00:37:50,640 Speaker 1: What's new? You know, those are easy? 667 00:37:50,680 --> 00:37:53,880 Speaker 3: Those are lazy, And to see if you can press 668 00:37:53,880 --> 00:37:57,440 Speaker 3: yourself to challenge yourself, say, how could I ask a 669 00:37:57,520 --> 00:38:02,360 Speaker 3: question that's ten or fifteen percent more focused, more creative, 670 00:38:02,840 --> 00:38:05,239 Speaker 3: and maybe required us a little bit more thought So 671 00:38:05,360 --> 00:38:08,560 Speaker 3: instead of hey, what's up, to say Hey, what's the 672 00:38:08,560 --> 00:38:12,799 Speaker 3: most interesting thing that's happened to you today? Or where 673 00:38:12,800 --> 00:38:15,920 Speaker 3: are you experiencing joy in your life these days? Or 674 00:38:16,360 --> 00:38:20,080 Speaker 3: what's what's an important headline since the last time you 675 00:38:20,120 --> 00:38:23,400 Speaker 3: and I saw each other. I'm getting at how are you? 676 00:38:23,520 --> 00:38:25,839 Speaker 3: And what are you doing? But I'm just because here's 677 00:38:25,840 --> 00:38:30,040 Speaker 3: a principle. Here's the principle of question asking. 678 00:38:30,120 --> 00:38:30,359 Speaker 1: Alan. 679 00:38:30,440 --> 00:38:33,840 Speaker 3: It goes like this, If you ask lazy, generic, predictable questions, 680 00:38:34,560 --> 00:38:38,600 Speaker 3: you're going to get lazy, predictable, boring answer. 681 00:38:39,400 --> 00:38:44,160 Speaker 2: I thought I heard that coming, yes, But if you ask. 682 00:38:44,120 --> 00:38:49,120 Speaker 3: Really thoughtful, curious, caring questions, you're going to get really thoughtful, 683 00:38:50,120 --> 00:38:53,840 Speaker 3: caring answers. It's as predictable as a communist election, Alan, 684 00:38:54,160 --> 00:38:55,360 Speaker 3: It's just how it works. 685 00:38:55,880 --> 00:38:58,920 Speaker 1: And so if we can just be a little bit. 686 00:38:58,800 --> 00:39:03,520 Speaker 3: More thoughtful, more thoughtful and intentional, we're going to have 687 00:39:03,880 --> 00:39:07,279 Speaker 3: more meaningful answers, conversations and the interactions. 688 00:39:08,680 --> 00:39:12,480 Speaker 2: Yeah, that is so helpful. I really appreciate that, and 689 00:39:12,600 --> 00:39:16,480 Speaker 2: I've enjoyed our conversation. Again. Today my guest has been JR. 690 00:39:16,560 --> 00:39:19,839 Speaker 2: Briggs and we've been talking about his book The Art 691 00:39:20,040 --> 00:39:24,359 Speaker 2: of Asking Better Questions. Jr. Has spend just a great 692 00:39:24,440 --> 00:39:25,560 Speaker 2: pleasure to spend this time. 693 00:39:25,560 --> 00:39:28,960 Speaker 3: Begin Thanks Alan so much. And I don't say this 694 00:39:29,040 --> 00:39:31,880 Speaker 3: to everyone, but you and Jim are great question askers. 695 00:39:31,920 --> 00:39:34,480 Speaker 3: And I'm so grateful for the gift that you have 696 00:39:34,680 --> 00:39:39,200 Speaker 3: and how many other people have benefited from your great, courageous, 697 00:39:39,280 --> 00:39:41,960 Speaker 3: caring questions of others. So as from one brother to 698 00:39:42,000 --> 00:39:44,520 Speaker 3: the next, I would say, keep it up, because the 699 00:39:44,560 --> 00:39:47,320 Speaker 3: world is better than the fadlings ask good questions. 700 00:39:47,960 --> 00:39:52,799 Speaker 2: Oh you're very kind. Thanks friend, Thanks, thank you for 701 00:39:52,880 --> 00:39:56,719 Speaker 2: listening to the Unhurry Living podcast. To learn more about us, 702 00:39:56,840 --> 00:40:01,000 Speaker 2: visit Unhurryliving dot com. In the show notes, you'll find 703 00:40:01,080 --> 00:40:05,359 Speaker 2: helpful links and information about our partner, Live Audio and 704 00:40:05,600 --> 00:40:09,120 Speaker 2: all of their other faith centered podcasts.