to listen – or to give advice. with friends or church family, however, it may look a little different. i still purpose to listen first. and then listen some more. and maybe even listen some more. only then, do i consider whether it is best to offer advice (especially if asked for) or to gently ask them, “would you like to pray together about the situation or would you like to talk through some possible things to try to help the situation?” listening is so much easier than giving advice, once you learn to actually listen. but, boy does it take practice.
opinions are easy, but it takes a lot of 