Adam Ormord welcomes friend and mentor, Stephen W. Smith, to The Being Formed Podcast to talk about the power of deep listening. Steve Smith is the co-founder of Potter's Inn, a Christian ministry devoted to the work of spiritual formation and the care of the soul. He's the author of several books and small group guides, including The Lazarus Life, Soul Custody, The Jesus Life, and Inside Job. Steve and Gwen have been married since 1980 and have four grown sons and 14 grandchildren. Steve regularly writes on his Substack page, Potter’s Inn with Stephen W. Smith, where he recently posted an article entitled "Deep Listening Might Save Us. His article is vulnerable and honest, as evidenced in today's podcast.  "So many words—too many words is a form of abuse to the soul, I believe. I use the word abuse intentionally. Why abuse? Because abuse is not just what is done “to”us—abuse it also what is withheld from us. When we are not heard, then the message we get is, “I don’t matter.” That’s not the truth. Listening validates that the one speaking matters." (Steve Smith, Deep Listening Might Save Us, July 29, 2024) (26:55) Adam recites the lyrics of a song called "let me listen." Text by Charles Anthony Silvestri / Music by Dan Forrest. 2022. (Watch & Listen on YouTube Here.) (48:12) Steve offers a short practice to help us consider the value of Deep Listening. Build an acrostic of the word LISTEN based on what listening looks like to you. Steve's example: "E" means Eyes fixed; "N" means Now is the moment. Adam's example: "N" means No phone on the table. Do this exercise in community and discuss ways to practice deep listening together. If you'd like to share your LISTEN acrostic with our LifePoint community, send an email to [email protected].  The Being Formed Podcast is a soul care ministry of LifePoint Resources.