As I write this, I'm sitting in the corner of my living room. I have a view out the double windows on the front of my house. They are about sixteen feet from where I'm sitting. Because of the lovely curtains my wife put up, my view of the outside world is two triangles side by side, and one of those triangles is partly blocked by a potted plant.
Only a few days ago we had a major snow-event, so mostly I just see white. A few times a minute I see a vehicle pass, going north or south. My view of the world is very limited.
Some years ago when I set this blog up I chose the name, "The View Through My Keyhole," in recognition of the reality that my view of the world "out there" is quite limited. All kinds of realities--my one-placed-ness, my prejudices, my time-bounded-ness, and my intellectual and educational limitations are just a few of the curtains, walls, and flowers that keep me from seeing things more broadly and clearly.
About thirty minutes ago I heard noises outside that aroused my curiosity--motor sounds, tires crunching the crust of ice, a door closing. Was it my neighbor coming back from a trip, somebody looking for Kathy or me, or maybe someone thinking that my patch of snow-free pavement was a good place to park?
Though I'm tired from hacking and shoveling snow and ice, I couldn't help myself; I got up and looked out from a couple of windows and the back door.
That sound captured my mind. Maybe "hijacked" is a better word. J.R. Briggs in His book The Art of
Asking Better Questions: Pursuing Stronger Relationship, Healthier Leadership, and Deeper Faith, Says a good question does that. It opens up new vistas for both the questioner and the one being interogated.
You, don't have to read very far in Briggs's book to find out that he has made the study of questions, especially the study of questions in Scripture a life-long pursuit. He talks about questions God asks, and suggests, in part based on the Psalms, the value of asking questions of God. Among other questionish observations, Briggs pointes out that Jesus almost never directly answered a question. He often asked a question in reply. He challenges his readers to work to ask better questions and be a better question asker. Without question, I am challenged by the book.
I heard about The Art of Asking Better Questions . . ., in a podcast by Carey Nieuwhof. It's well-worth the listen. Click here.
I plan to reread the book. It's actually a bit of a workbook. It's filled with ideas and exercises to expand ones appreciation of and ability to make use of better questions. I think that you, like me, will be surprised at how much there is to know about questions. I just didn't know to ask.
