60. To Listen is to Love (with Stephen W. Smith)

Originally released on September 4, 2024, as “Deep Listening Might Save Us,” this conversation returns to The Being Formed Podcast exactly two years later. Once again, on Adam’s birthday. Coincidence? We don't think so... Bringing this episode out of the archives feels like a birthday gift because its message reflects the heart of LifePoint Resources: every soul deserves to be heard. Stephen W. Smith has been a friend and mentor to Adam Ormord as he has found his way more deeply into spiritual formation, spiritual direction, and the care of the soul. In this powerful conversation, Steve and Adam explore our fundamental need to be heard and the healing that can happen when another person offers us their attentive presence. Deep listening is more than a communication skill. It is a way of loving. When we listen without rushing to fix, advise, interrupt, or prepare our response, we create space for another person to feel seen, known, and received. The conversation was inspired by Steve’s article, “Deep Listening Might Save Us,” published in July 2024. Steve later returned for Episode 41 to discuss his book of poetry, Greening: Poems in the Unfolding of Our Lives. Including this "remixed" episode, Steve has now appeared on The Being Formed Podcast more often than any other guest. A Practice for Deep Listening Near the end of the conversation, Steve invites listeners to create an acrostic using the word LISTEN. Allow each letter to represent a posture or skill that helps you become more present to another person. Consider: • Who in your life needs to be heard? • What keeps you from offering that person your full attention? • What might become possible if you simply listened? Links: Read “Deep Listening Might Save Us” by Stephen W. Smith (https://pottersinn.substack.com/p/dee...) Listen to Episode 41: “Greening (with Stephen W. Smith)” (https://www.thebeingformedpodcast.com...)   The Being Formed Podcast is a soul care ministry of LifePoint Resources (https://www.lifepointresources.org) .