Table of Contents
Acknowledgments 13
Introduction 15
1 Accept the Call 21
Communicating for Life 22
Communicating in Culture 27
Learning Great Communication 29
Communicating Courageously 31
Examining Our Motives 32
Conclusion 35
2 Offer Thanks 37
Engaging Our Hearts 38
Receiving Gratitude 40
Using Symbols 41
Employing Verbal and Nonverbal Language 42
Sending and Receiving "Texts" 43
Sharing Understanding 45
Contextualizing Communication 46
Doing Communication 47
Understanding with Discernment 49
Conclusion 50
3 Be Responsible 53
Communicating Responsibly in God's Name 54
Listening Obediently 56
Listening Intimately 57
Listening Actively 59
Listening Dialogically 60
Listening Vertically 62
Communicating with Excellence and Compassion 63
Communicating "Christianly" 63
Embracing Confusion 64
Conclusion 66
4 Address Brokenness 69
Accepting Imperfection 70
Being Vulnerable 71
Sharing Appropriately 72
Sharing Healing 74
Identifying Our Biases 75
Blaming Others 76
Releasing Control 77
Sinning by Omission 79
Sinning by Commission 80
Confessing Regularly 81
Conclusion 82
5 Embrace Community 85
Growing Together 86
Knowing Ourselves in Community 87
Nurturing Shalom 89
Embracing Diversities 90
Questioning Stereotypes 91
Nurturing Trust 94
Seeking Truth Together 96
Forming Truth-Loving Communities 98
Conclusion 100
6 Be Virtuous 101
Being Genuine 102
Seeking Integrity 103
Being Joyful 105
Embracing Peace 106
Being Patient 108
Being Kind 110
Being Good 111
Being Gentle 112
Being Self-Controlled 114
Conclusion 116
7 Tell Stories 119
How Stories Work 120
Communicating Indirectly 122
Capturing Metaphors 123
Mapping Life 125
Engaging Comedies and Tragedies 127
Interpreting Stories through the Biblical Metanarrative 128
Critiquing Media Mythologies 130
Conclusion 131
8 Discern Media 133
Defining Technology 135
Communicating with Media Technologies 135
Elevating the Spoken Word 136
Fitting Medium to Message 137
Rejecting Communication Technologies 139
Adapting Communication Technologies 143
Creating Communication Technologies 144
Conclusion 145
Closing Thoughts 147
Notes 151
