Spiritual Listening as a Work Habit

While innovation of the world is entrepreneurial and focused on speed to market, Christian innovation is marked by spiritual listening, patience, and a willingness to obey.

Len Wilson, Rukes Alliance Partner. See Len’s Bio here.

As I build my new publishing ministry Invite Resources, I am reminded more than ever of this deep truth, revealed as I wrote my new book Greater Things. 

Don't misunderstand me: This doesn't mean Christian innovation isn't entrepreneurial, or that speed to market is irrelevant. it means that true Christian innovation is about something greater. It all comes down to the work of the Holy Spirit. If we truly believe that the Holy Spirit is the agent working in us and through us, and the means by which we participate in God's new creation, then this means that it's not up to us. We are not leading.

The Holy Spirit is leading, which means that before we hurriedly run off executing business plans, we need to begin with the greater work: spiritual listening, patience, and a willingness to obey. Without daily listening and obedience to God's Spirit, I can guarantee you based on personal experience that what you are doing is based on your own strength and abilities. God says: "You may say to yourself, 'My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.' But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth..." - Deuteronomy 8:17-18

I wrote the above paragraphs as a long social post the other night. Afterward, someone responded and asked:

How do you spiritually listen? Could you share the process you use in discerning the direction of the Spirit? 

This is a critical question for anyone in ministry, because it’s about how we work. Are we working in our own strength, or in the strength of God’s Spirit?

My own journey as a Christ follower is wrapped up in the answer, and I also talk about this a little in Greater Things. Specifically, the idea I put in the Facebook post about “spiritual listening, patience, and a willingness to obey” can be understood as three steps to the Christian life. The basis for this concept is that there are two types of Christ followers: those who work in their own strength, and those who have learned the lesson of Deuteronomy 8:17-18 and have learned to listen to God’s Spirit.

My first thing is the I suppose somewhat prosaic habit of scripture and journaling. But maybe not the way you might assume.

Scripture and journaling go hand in hand, which means they go slow. (Speed is not helpful. Speed is actually one of several new ways of being a Christ follower introduced by the emperor Constantine in the fourth century.)

When I do a morning reading, I use nothing but the text itself—no devotionals, no guides or Upper Rooms or anything, although those are certainly helpful for many people. I have gotten to the place where I want to hear directly from the Holy Spirit, and the best way to do this is to go straight to the text. 

The way it works is that I am on a rotating plan. I started with a “one year Bible” plan originally, about ten years ago, when I got serious about this. But to do the one year Bible in a year is ridiculous, honestly. It requires a ton of reading every day. The one year plan became a five year plan for me, because I’d start a chapter, and get three verses in, and I’d be stopping to journal and make notes. 

Now, implicit in my daily Scripture and journaling practice is a creativity habit I have done for years. 

So let me back up a bit. I have always had “aha” ideas in my mind (I think everyone does, this is not special to me) but up through my late 20s, I’d have an idea and then think to myself, “oh I need to write that down.” But I wouldn’t actually stop in the moment. And then I’d forget. It’s like ideas are little birds on our shoulders. If we don’t stop and show it care, then it’s going to fly off to someone else who’s more interested! (Who knows how many good book ideas I lost because I wasn’t paying close enough attention.)

Seriously, our crazy ideas may be nudges of the Spirit.

About a decade ago, I began to keep a practice. I became disciplined about capturing every crazy idea. Here is what I do:

I keep a pen in my pocket at all times, I keep a journal handy, and I also use napkins, envelopes, Apple Notes on my phone, and even the little microphone button on the dictation thing so I can sometimes send myself a quick email to deal with later. But the point is, I learned to stop right then and there, even if I’m in the grocery or the restroom, and capture the idea as it happens.

So that practice of learning to listen to the creative ideas, combined with the more disciplined scripture reading habit, led me to a mixture of reading and journaling. I don’t so it 365 days a year, but I do it maybe 250, and every time, I am lucky to get through one chapter.

The resulting notes go into an Apple Notes folder system for every book of the Bible, with hashtags for ideas such as #authority or #innovation or whatever. I currently have about 1000 notes now that are specific to this practice. It’s like the old-school practice of writing in the margins of the Bible, except my method is databased and searchable. That way, I can go back and reflect and pray over notes later.

A couple of more ideas:

I spend my best creative work with the laptop closed. The other night I was alone in the house and I cooked up the chicken dish. It took me an hour (it was a complicated dish) and the entire time, I’m subconsciously thinking about our new publishing venture, Invite Resources. Not stressed, just free thought as I busied my hands. Toward the end, a six page document popped in my head on marketing, so I ran over to the laptop and wrote it down. 

Sometimes the blank screen is a killer. If I am working with the laptop open, and I am feeling emptied out and exhausted, I just close it and go do something else. I don’t try to “power through” which is counter-productive and unhelpful. Busying my hands regenerates things.

Last, implicit in this is my understanding of the creative process, which is 3 pieces: Input-Waiting-Connection. 

This is my definition of the creative process, which I came to after several years of research and study. Sounds simple, but there are only three steps: 1) input, which is receiving new ideas and can come through other people, through articles, through Scripture, whatever; 2) waiting, which is the busying of the hands doing something else while the ideas you’ve put in the hopper mix together and marinate; and 3) connection, which is the moment the little bird appears on your shoulder like a ton of bricks and says, HEY LOOK AT ME!!!

Notice that this process requires very little effort beyond the discipline of, as I said at the top, spiritual listening, patience, and—last, which is perhaps a separate article—the willingness to obey. 

This daily practice is a critical part of my work life as a follower of Christ, and is critical to the work of Christian innovation. 

————————

Len Wilson has served as a creative director, teacher, speaker, consultant, and coach. His ministry has helped thousands of churches to more innovative ways of doing ministry through ministries he has co-founded and led since 1996. He is a pioneer in the use of visual media and storytelling in church life. Len is Executive Director of Invite Resources and Director of Innovation and Strategy at St. Andrew United Methodist Church in Plano, Texas. 

His newest book, Greater Things: The Work of the New Creation, releases with Invite Press in August, 2021. Visit inviteresources.com/ to learn more.