wfn.org | [ENS] 'How does God Listen?': New book for young children explores

["Matthew Davies" <mdavies@episcopalchurch.org>]

Daybook, from the Episcopal News Service

April 12, 2005 - Tuesday to Note & To Read

'How does God Listen?': New book for young children explores God's
presence

by Daphne Mack

[Episcopal News Service] "How does God Listen?" is a new book by Kay
Lindahl
geared towards opening up conversations about God with children three to
six
years old.

Through the use of vibrant, colorful photographs and simple text, the
book
focuses on helping children explore how God is always present in their
lives
and is always listening.

Lindahl, founder of the Listening Center in Laguna Niguel, California,
said
she drew inspiration for her latest effort from her previous books about
adult listening--"The Sacred Art of Listening" and "Practicing the
Sacred
Art of Listening"--as well as from people asking her to do "something
for
children."

She said her publishers came up with the title and asked if she was
willing
to address the topic. "I said absolutely, so it was good timing."

Lindahl, a lay Eucharistic minister at Faith Episcopal Church in
California
has also been "engaged in interfaith work for 13 years." She said she
has
practiced centering prayer, the prayer of silence, since 1991 and that
it
has been an important part of dialoguing with others of different belief
systems "without debate."

"Centering prayer is listening to God and dialogue is all about
listening to
others," she said. "I think that when people are really listening to one
another, there is a presence there besides the two people and I would
call
that presence holy or sacred or spirit...that's why for me listening is
a
spiritual practice that brings me closer to God."

Lindahl said that to listen, one must "really cultivate silence."
However,
in our culture, people are not at ease with silence. "I think that
practicing silence is one of the primary practices that one can take on
to
become a better listener."

Lindahl will lead a workshop on Listening and Diversity at the
International
Listening Association's annual convention April 16 in Minneapolis,
Minnesota. For information call 800-ILA-4505.

The Listening Center was founded with the mission of exploring the
sacred
nature of listening. Visit http://www.sacredlistening.com/  for more
information.

Note: The following titles are available from the Episcopal
Book/Resource
Center, 815 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10017; 800.334.7626 or
212.716.6118;
http://www.episcopalbookstore.org/

To Read: HOW DOES GOD LISTEN? By Kay Lindahl (Skylights Paths
Publishing,
Woodstock, Vermont, 2005, $8.99.)

>From the publisher: How can we know that God listens to us? This lively
book helps children use all of their senses to explore how God is always
present in their everyday lives, and is always listening. Using simple,
everyday examples to which children can relate, How Does God Listen?
helps
children develop a direct and personal understanding of God. How Does
God
Listen? teaches children--and the rest of us--that God is everywhere,
and
that the world is full of wonder.

To Read: PRACTICING THE SACRED ART OF LISTENING: A Guide to Enrich Your
Relationships and Kindle Your Spiritual Life by Kay Lindahl (Skylights
Paths
Publishing, Woodstock, Vermont, 2003, 155 pages; $16.95.)

>From the publisher: It happens at work and at home, with strangers and
close friends, in heated debates and in quiet conversations--you hear
someone speaking, but often you don't truly listen. This book offers
practical, easy-to-follow advice and exercises to enhance your capacity
to
listen in a spirit-filled way.

To Read: THE SACRED ART OF LISTENING by Kay Lindahl (Skylights Paths
Publishing, Woodstock, Vermont, 2002, 140 pages; $16.95)

>From the publisher: The Sacred Art of Listening guides you through
forty
practices of deep listening--to our Source, to ourselves, and to each
other.
Inspiring text and contemplative artwork combine to communicate the
three
essential qualities of deep listening-silence, reflection, and presence.
They demonstrate that the key to healthy relationships and spiritual
transformation can be as basic as practicing the art of listening.

Kay Lindahl is founder of the Listening Center in Laguna Niguel,
California,
active in the interfaith movement, mother of five, and grandmother of
nine.
She is also author of The Sacred Art of Listening: Forty Reflections for
Cultivating a Spiritual Practice and Practicing the Sacred Art of
Listening:
A Guide to Enrich Your Relationships and Kindle Your Spiritual Life, two
popular books about listening for adults.

-- Daphne Mack is staff writer for Episcopal News Service.

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