“To be taught to respect one’s self; to be habituated to the censorial inspection of the public eye; … to have leisure to read, to reflect, to converse; to be enabled to draw the court and attention of the wise and learned, wherever they are to be found; to be habituated in armies to command and to obey; … to be led to a guarded and regulated conduct, from a sense that you are considered as an instructor of your fellow citizens in their highest concerns, and that you act as a reconciler between God and man. …” Edmund Burke

This whole idea of introspection is key.  Contemplating what is going on around you and sensing who is being impacted and why is a definition of emotional intelligence.  Those with emotional intelligence have the potential to communicate in powerful ways for they have insights into how words affect others.

As someone who communicates for a living, my first job is to be a good listener followed closely by a good student of content as well as context.  For the pastor, the listening is twofold:  Holy Spirit and congregation.  Only then can one in good conscience put together a few ideas for others.

And after all of this…we saw this week that the thing folks remember is the little ditty you sang!  Oh yes, taking yourself not too seriously is important too.