January 25th, 2010 
Jojo Agot I was reading Rick Warren’s Ministry Toolbox blog a while ago and was struck with this verse he quoted. It was about the rich young ruler who came to Jesus looking for advise on what he should do to inherit eternal life.
Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” Mark 10: 21
What’s interesting is how the verse emphasized that Jesus looked at him, and thus, loved him and answered his question directly to the point.
Looking someone in the eye when he’s talking is one way to tell him that you are really listening and that you care enough to hear him out. This is especially true in small group meetings. Many times, we ask a person to say something but when he begins talking, we get busy flipping our Bibles, taking down notes or looking around. The message he gets is unmistakable: we don’t care what he has to say, he might as well stop talking.
I know we don’t mean it. I know we’re listening. I know we care. But the other person doesn’t.
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A good rebuke to many of us especially when someone is talking,we tend to flip our bibles while someone answers our questions.
For facilitators, it should also be advisable to say “thank you” and recap what was shared so that they will know that we are listening.
Thank you for this one!