Chapter 14- Reaching for the Stars, Exercise 1

Exercise 1

Tools required:

• A Questionnaire
• A conversational partner

Concluding a conversation, ask the person you have been in dialogue with if they would attempt to answer some questions you might have for them.

Prepare the questionnaire ahead of time – you may choose the samples below, or work from your own – and do not, by any accounts react in a discouraging way to the fellow you are probing, no matter what answer is given! When people answer something candidly, they do so in good faith, and so we must endeavour to remove criticism from our hearts and minds before and after any pertinent discourse, else do not ask them for their honesty, as this is a betrayal of confidence.

After the questionnaire has been fulfilled, compare your own thoughts with answers you may have guessed for them, privately. Ponder your accuracy or inaccuracies in this matter.

Thank the participant.

Sample Questionnaire 1

• During our conversation did I appear to be attentive?
• What was the most interesting thing I mentioned (if anything)?
• What was the most striking thing that came to your mind that you shared with me?
• What was the most striking thing that came to your mind that you did not share with me?
• Were you at ease in my presence?
• Was anything left unsaid that should have been said?
• During our dialogue did you feel:
• present, in the moment
• distant, distracted into thought elsewhere
• Eternal Grace
• something else?
• Do you have any questions you should like to ask me, in return, before we conclude?

Sample Questionnaire 2

• During our conversation, could you feel the Presence of Christ?
• What, if anything, did He say to You?
• Did you hear Him speak to you through me at all? What was it that was said?
• If you had a question to ask Him today, what would that be?
• Do you perceive Him to be:
• present, in the moment
• distant, some place elsewhere
• in Eternal Grace
• somewhere else?
• Before we conclude, do you have any thing you feel should be said from Him to me, that you could speak of?