Leading the Complainer Through Listening: Rephrase Absolute Statements with a Question (Colossians 4:5-6; Proverbs 27:9; 10:21; 14:8)

Questions generate answers, but statements produce resistance. Questions are imperative when leading a complainer through listening. Because he sees issues as black and white (right or wrong), the complainer fights to be right and is notorious for making absolute statements that leverage the words always and never. For example, “You never call me!” When we […]


Leading the Complainer Through Listening: Encourge (1 Thessalonians 5:14; Proverbs 12:25; 15:23)

Can you think of someone who has discouraged you? Now picture someone who has encouraged you. Here’s the big question. Which person resembles you? Encouragement includes the Latin, cor, which means “heart.” An encourager breathes life into the hearts of others. A discourager sucks the life right out of them. Encouraging is imperative when leading […]


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