Sunday, September 26, 2004

not listening... again

i have a hard time listening to people. many of my friends and family say that i am a good listener but i have more than enough counter-evidence to prove otherwise.

one example of where i didn't listen was when people told me that i was going to experience a wide range of beliefs at princeton seminary. i gave mental agreement to that thought but i didn't realize how true that was until last week.

why are people here at princeton seminary? some seem to be here, like me, to prepare for full-time Christian ministry in the church. others seem to be here to pursue a PhD in order to teach. others seem to be here to train for teaching history in other institutions.

my first question (direct or indirect) for each person i meet is not what they believe but why they are here. that question gives me immediate insight into the potential range of beliefs that person may bring to the table. i can learn a lot from other people here. some things i may not want to learn. 3 years will show me what i need to take and what i need to leave...

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