Tag Archives: listening

Listen More and Talk Less

Posted on October 11, 2025 by mitchteemley

“Let everyone be swift to listen, and slow to speak.” ~James 1:19 “For it is better to remain silent at the risk of being thought a fool, than to talk and remove all doubt.” ~Maurice Switzer “Silence is the language … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Humor, Quips and Quotes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 40 Comments

Processing My Thoughts in My Head

Posted on September 1, 2025 by mitchteemley

Thought for the Week “Half of seeming clever is keeping your mouth shut at the right times.” ~Patrick Rothfuss I tend to launch into stories at the slightest provocation, or even lack thereof. I once thought this was simply because … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Humor, Memoir, Quips and Quotes | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 50 Comments

The Time to Understand is Now

Posted on July 21, 2025 by mitchteemley

Thought for the Week My father died on this date. And one week from today, I’m scheduled for a major heart procedure. One that could  spare me the fate that killed my dad at age 45. Which, ironically, happened just … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, For Pastors and Teachers, Memoir | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 136 Comments

Let’s Do it Better This Time

Posted on June 23, 2025 by mitchteemley

Thought for the Week It’s true for all of us, isn’t it? There are times we take action without listening, react without thinking, spend without earning, criticize without waiting, pray without forgiving, quit without trying. So here’s a thought: Let’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Quips and Quotes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 20 Comments

Four Steps to Becoming a Better Listener

Posted on June 2, 2025 by mitchteemley

Thought for the Week I’m a monologist. By which I mean I’m a dedicated one-way communicator. Writing and lecturing come naturally to me. But conversation? Well… An old girlfriend once stared at me in disbelief and said, “You live in … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Humor | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 71 Comments

The Gift of Listening

Posted on August 5, 2024 by mitchteemley

Thought for the Week The most valuable gifts aren’t the ones that cost money, but the ones that cost us a piece of ourselves. For me, listening to others is such a gift because it doesn’t come naturally. What does … Continue reading →

Posted in For Pastors and Teachers, Humor, Quips and Quotes | Tagged , , , , , , | 39 Comments

Real Diversity

Posted on May 16, 2022 by mitchteemley

Thought for the Week “Modern writers have suggested,” G.K. Chesterton argues (and it’s hard to believe he wrote this almost 120 years ago), that because of its lack of diversity, “the family is a bad institution.” And yet ironically, he … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Humor, Quips and Quotes | Tagged , , , , , , | 36 Comments

When I Became a ‘Real’ Teacher

Posted on March 9, 2022 by mitchteemley

My Featured Blogger this week is Jennie Fitzkee of A Teacher’s Reflections. Jennie is one of the most inspiring bloggers you’ll ever read, and an acclaimed preschool teacher whose methods are mentioned in the bestselling ‘The Read-Aloud Handbook’. But Jennie … Continue reading →

Posted in Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , | 23 Comments

The Therapeutic Value of a Smile

Posted on August 18, 2021 by mitchteemley

My Featured Blogger this week is Leon Aldridge of A Story Worth Telling. Over the years, Leon has been an editor, publisher, photographer, teacher, journalist and newspaper owner. The connecting fiber is in his blog site’s title: Story (I can … Continue reading →

Posted in For Pastors and Teachers, Humor, Story Power, Writing | Tagged , , , , , | 10 Comments

My Experiment in Becoming Human

Posted on August 31, 2020 by mitchteemley

Processing My Thoughts Aloud In My Head In a post entitled Do You Live in Your Head? I wrote about my goal of talking less and listening more, of focusing on others. Still, goals aren’t touchdowns, they’re just big “H”s … Continue reading →

Posted in Humor, Memoir | Tagged , , , , , , , | 46 Comments